Rannsökuð var þátttaka nemenda í kennslustundum í níu íslenskum framhaldsskólum og var markmið þríþætt. Í fyrsta lagi að greina hvernig þátttaka nemenda birtist í
kennslustundum. Í öðru lagi að skoða hvort kennsluaðferðirnar í þeim kennslustundum þar sem þátttaka nemenda var til staðar væru kennarastýrðar eða nemendamiðaðar.
Í þriðja lagi að skoða viðmót og athafnir kennara í kennslustundum þar sem nemendur tóku þátt. Unnið var úr 130 vettvangslýsingum á kennslustundum í níu framhaldsskólum sem safnað var á skólaárinu 2013–2014 og haustið 2014 í rannsóknarverkefninu Starfshættir í framhaldsskólum. Kennslustundir voru flokkaðar eftir því hvort
þær náðu viðmiðum um þátttöku. Viðmiðið var að 75% af nemendunum tækju þátt
í því sem kennarinn ætlaðist til af þeim í 75% af tímanum og náðu 83 kennslustundir þessu viðmiði. Algengustu birtingarmyndir þátttöku nemenda í kennslustundum
voru að þeir unnu verkefni og spurðu kennara um námsefnið og komu þessar athafnir
fram í meirihluta kennslustundanna. Í um helmingi stundanna kom einnig fram að
nemendur sýndu athygli (fylgdust með) og ræddu um viðfangsefnið. Niðurstöður
benda til þess að þátttaka nemenda í kennslustundum tengist ekki hvaða kennsluaðferðir eru notaðar, þar sem þátttökustundirnar skiptust frekar jafnt í nemendamiðaðar
og kennarastýrðar kennslustundir. Flestar birtingarmyndir þátttöku nemenda komu
tiltölulega jafnt fyrir í bæði kennarastýrðum og nemendamiðuðum kennslustundum en athöfnin að sýna athygli var algengari í kennarastýrðum kennslustundum og
athafnirnar að leita og nota efnivið og hjálpast að við að leysa verkefni komu oftar
fram í nemendamiðuðum kennslustundum. Flestar þátttökustundanna einkenndust
af því að kennari sýndi jákvætt viðmót, hafði skapað hlýlegt andrúmsloft, hafði gefið
skýr fyrirmæli um vinnu nemenda eða verið hvetjandi. Þannig virðast viðmót og
athafnir kennara hafa haft jákvæð áhrif á þátttöku nemenda í kennslustundunum.
Niðurstöðurnar undirstrika að mikilvægt er að gefa viðmóti og athöfnum kennara
sérstakan gaum í samhengi við námslega skuldbindingu nemenda.
This article outlines a study on how Icelandic upper secondary school students
engage in classroom work (academic engagement) through classroom participation
(Greenwood, Horton, and Utley, 2002; Schmidt, Rosenberg, and Beymer, 2018).
The objective is threefold: Firstly, to analyze how student participation manifests itself
in the classroom. Secondly, to investigate whether classes with a high level of student
participation should be categorized as teacher-directed or student-focused. Thirdly,
to take note of teachers’ activities in classes with a high level of student participation.
The researchers analyzed 130 in-field class descriptions in nine upper secondary
schools, drawn from the project Upper Secondary School Practices, collected during
the years 2013–2014. Each class session was analyzed either as having a high level of
student participation or failing to reach a required standard of student participation;
the requirement being that 75% of students participate in teacher-directed work 75%
of class time. Eighty-three class sessions were found to reach this standard.
Student academic engagement in these classes was analyzed through a variety of
activities, here termed engagement indicators. These were 11 indicators listed here
in frequency order (number of sessions in parentheses): working on assignments (69),
directing questions to the teacher (65), showing signs of paying attention such as
listening and following what is going on (46), discussing classroom tasks (44), working together on assignments (39), answering the teacher’s questions on the subject 38),
asking the teacher for assistance (35), writing and taking notes (21), showing interest
in various ways (19), searching for and using materials (15), and reading aloud or
silently (9). At least two indicators appeared in a class, and a maximum of nine appeared in a single session. On average five indicators appeared in a class session.
We also looked at the use of teacher-directed and student-focused teaching methods,
which turned out to be almost an equal number in our sample of 83 classes, with only
11 that could not be labelled either teacher-directed or student-focused. In the sample,
student class engagement remained more or less equal regardless of whether teacherdirected or student-focused methods were used. The exceptions were indicators of
paying attention, more often found in classes where teacher-directed methods were
used, and indicators of searching for and using materials and working together on
assignments, more often found in classes where student-focused methods were used.
Furthermore, the results indicate that the teacher’s activities positively influence
student engagement. Thus, the attributes of a positive demeanor, an atmosphere of
warmth, clear instructions from the teacher, and the teacher’s motivating manner
were identified in 90% of classes with a high level of student engagement. There was
a significant positive correlation between a teacher’s positive demeanor and an atmosphere of warmth on the one hand and clear instructions on the other.
The study has its strengths and limitations. Although carefully selected, one-hundred-and-thirty class sessions is not a high ratio of all upper secondary school classes. A
group of 15 researchers gathered the material. To ensure more accuracy they frequently met to discuss how they would perform the observations, and in 44% of the cases
two researchers observed the session. It would have been interesting to compare class
sessions with a high level of participation and those with lower levels. However, much
fewer sessions did not reach our standard of 75% of students participating in teacher-
-directed work 75% of class time, and in some cases descriptions were not accurate
enough to determine whether the level of participation reached our standards.
These findings can have implications for teacher education, both in university classrooms and in practicums where students can be trained to use methods likely to
engage students in classroom work. Furthermore, they can be trained in some helpful
tasks such as how to learn the names of their students and give clear instructions.
Overall, the study also reminds us that teachers need to be mindful of their attitudes
to students and the teaching methods they select in order to ensure students’ academic
engagement.
