“Into it” or “going through the motions”: Exploring how college students understand their academic engagement

Abstract

Purpose – This study describes how college students understand and manifest their academic engagement, but also explores its variations and influences.

Methodology – Data for this study are drawn from semi-structured interviews with 135 undergraduate students in 2003. The interviews were conducted by other undergraduate students who were trained in an upper-level sociology research methods course.

Findings – Interviews reveal that college student engagement is a more multidimensional phenomenon than previous treatments indicate. Students used two main narratives to talk about their engagement. Many students' vocabularies exhibit a restricted engagement that goes no further than typical course requirements and is characterized by an instrumental orientation (e.g., grades). The other narrative is a more elaborate, authentic engagement characterized by a deeper motivation. They care and are enthusiastic about their academic experiences. Students' engagement is influenced by a number of factors: course- and instructor-related characteristics, additional role obligations, and other social psychological forces.

Limitations – This study was exploratory in nature and the sample, although larger than many qualitative studies, was not randomly selected. Using undergraduate students as interviewers also has its advantages and disadvantages.

Practical implications – Findings suggest that postsecondary researchers would do well to expand current quantitative measures of engagement. Also, we need a broader theoretical model for conceptualizing the multidimensional nature of student engagement and its influences.

Originality – This paper concludes by offering such a model by drawing upon recent advances in the sociology of culture.

Citation

Lashbrook, J. (2010), "“Into it” or “going through the motions”: Exploring how college students understand their academic engagement", Beth Johnson, H. (Ed.) Children and Youth Speak for Themselves (Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, Vol. 13), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 351-371. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-4661(2010)0000013016