The Space-Based Nature of Behavioral and Cognitive Engagement in Undergraduate STEM Learning

Learner engagement is critical to student success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) coursework. However, the character of engagement is still debated. University courses, particularly in STEM, are complex, multi-context environments in which students must cognitively and behaviorally engage in class, recitations/labs, independent study, and high-stakes exams. We hypothesize that students show consistency in how they engage within each of the particular but show much less consistency across these varied contexts. Knowledge of the fine-grained structure of learning engagement can be used to refine pedagogy and improve learning outcomes. Applying new engagement survey instruments that were iteratively developed to be contextually meaningful, we first present an exploratory factor analysis applied to 1,176 students from two different courses and institutions. Then we present a confirmatory factor analysis applied to 772 students in a third course. The findings support a model in which places of engagement (e.g., lecture, studying) are central to engagement’s structure, and further, they suggest that each place of engagement has a dominant characteristic (e.g., predominantly cognitive or behavioral). This discovery prompts a reevaluation of prevailing STEM learning engagement theories and improves our understanding of engagement dynamics -factors crucial for improving undergraduate academic success in STEM.