An Action Research of Undergraduate Required Reading Discussions: Focusing on Student Engagement

This action research study is conducted by an instructor who teaches a required liberal arts reading discussion course with the goal of engaging students in classroom activities, i.e., reading and discussion. Teaching and learning elements drawn from previous research on reading instruction and student engagement were applied to examine students’ behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Data collected from 160 students in four classes in two four-week rotations were analyzed. The findings suggest that four factors contribute to student engagement in reading discussion classes. Students showed evidence of engagement when (1) they were in a safe and supportive learning environment, (2) they felt connected to the instructor, and (3) new elements were introduced into the lesson, such as technology, learning activities, and reading materials. In addition, cognitive engagement was found to be particularly high when (4) the rest of the lesson was repeated, such as the lesson structure, to focus on the new elements of the lesson.