Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale

Suzanne Fischer Lindt; Stacia Celeste Miller

doi:doi:10.11648/j.her.20180303.12

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Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale

Suzanne Fischer Lindt, Stacia Celeste Miller

Published in Higher Education Research (Volume 3, Issue 3)

Received: 11 July 2018 Accepted: 26 July 2018 Published: 16 August 2018

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Abstract

This aim of this research study sought to define college classroom engagement from the perspective of Millennial students. A mixed-methods study was utilized to understand both quantitative and qualitative findings for the purpose of developing a measurement scale. The study was comprised of two different phases. In phase 1, students (n = 68) completed a demographic survey from which researchers invited students (n = 20) to participate in a focus group. Data analysis led researchers to identify five themes from the focus groups (relevance, instructional practices, class climate, professor traits, and student traits) to create a scale for measuring engagement in the classroom. The 30-item scale was comprised of five Likert statements for each of the six themes from phase 1. In phase 2, the scale was distributed to students (n = 177) on a university campus in the US. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted from the student responses and revealed 2 factors (Teaching Persona, α =.83 and Learning Environment α =.82) describing Millennial students’ reasons for engagement in the college classroom. The final scale of 18 items suggests that college students in the research study believe that they are more engaged in their college courses when they believe that their instructor exhibits traits demonstrating care and concern for students and when the instructor creates an environment conducive to learning. This research study and resulting scale may be helpful for guiding college faculty to develop their courses to better engage their college students in the classroom.

Published in	Higher Education Research (Volume 3, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.her.20180303.12
Page(s)	38-44
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Higher Education, Student Engagement, Mixed Methods

References

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APA Style

Suzanne Fischer Lindt, Stacia Celeste Miller. (2018). Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale. Higher Education Research, 3(3), 38-44. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20180303.12

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ACS Style

Suzanne Fischer Lindt; Stacia Celeste Miller. Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale. High. Educ. Res. 2018, 3(3), 38-44. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20180303.12

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AMA Style

Suzanne Fischer Lindt, Stacia Celeste Miller. Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale. High Educ Res. 2018;3(3):38-44. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20180303.12

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@article{10.11648/j.her.20180303.12,
  author = {Suzanne Fischer Lindt and Stacia Celeste Miller},
  title = {Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale},
  journal = {Higher Education Research},
  volume = {3},
  number = {3},
  pages = {38-44},
  doi = {10.11648/j.her.20180303.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20180303.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.her.20180303.12},
  abstract = {This aim of this research study sought to define college classroom engagement from the perspective of Millennial students. A mixed-methods study was utilized to understand both quantitative and qualitative findings for the purpose of developing a measurement scale. The study was comprised of two different phases. In phase 1, students (n = 68) completed a demographic survey from which researchers invited students (n = 20) to participate in a focus group. Data analysis led researchers to identify five themes from the focus groups (relevance, instructional practices, class climate, professor traits, and student traits) to create a scale for measuring engagement in the classroom. The 30-item scale was comprised of five Likert statements for each of the six themes from phase 1. In phase 2, the scale was distributed to students (n = 177) on a university campus in the US. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted from the student responses and revealed 2 factors (Teaching Persona, α =.83 and Learning Environment α =.82) describing Millennial students’ reasons for engagement in the college classroom. The final scale of 18 items suggests that college students in the research study believe that they are more engaged in their college courses when they believe that their instructor exhibits traits demonstrating care and concern for students and when the instructor creates an environment conducive to learning. This research study and resulting scale may be helpful for guiding college faculty to develop their courses to better engage their college students in the classroom.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale
AU  - Suzanne Fischer Lindt
AU  - Stacia Celeste Miller
Y1  - 2018/08/16
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VL  - 3
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Author Information

Suzanne Fischer Lindt

Department of Curriculum and Learning, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, USA
Stacia Celeste Miller

Department of Counseling and Kinesiology, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, USA

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APA Style

Suzanne Fischer Lindt, Stacia Celeste Miller. (2018). Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale. Higher Education Research, 3(3), 38-44. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20180303.12

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ACS Style

Suzanne Fischer Lindt; Stacia Celeste Miller. Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale. High. Educ. Res. 2018, 3(3), 38-44. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20180303.12

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AMA Style

Suzanne Fischer Lindt, Stacia Celeste Miller. Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale. High Educ Res. 2018;3(3):38-44. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20180303.12

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@article{10.11648/j.her.20180303.12,
  author = {Suzanne Fischer Lindt and Stacia Celeste Miller},
  title = {Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale},
  journal = {Higher Education Research},
  volume = {3},
  number = {3},
  pages = {38-44},
  doi = {10.11648/j.her.20180303.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20180303.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.her.20180303.12},
  abstract = {This aim of this research study sought to define college classroom engagement from the perspective of Millennial students. A mixed-methods study was utilized to understand both quantitative and qualitative findings for the purpose of developing a measurement scale. The study was comprised of two different phases. In phase 1, students (n = 68) completed a demographic survey from which researchers invited students (n = 20) to participate in a focus group. Data analysis led researchers to identify five themes from the focus groups (relevance, instructional practices, class climate, professor traits, and student traits) to create a scale for measuring engagement in the classroom. The 30-item scale was comprised of five Likert statements for each of the six themes from phase 1. In phase 2, the scale was distributed to students (n = 177) on a university campus in the US. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted from the student responses and revealed 2 factors (Teaching Persona, α =.83 and Learning Environment α =.82) describing Millennial students’ reasons for engagement in the college classroom. The final scale of 18 items suggests that college students in the research study believe that they are more engaged in their college courses when they believe that their instructor exhibits traits demonstrating care and concern for students and when the instructor creates an environment conducive to learning. This research study and resulting scale may be helpful for guiding college faculty to develop their courses to better engage their college students in the classroom.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Understanding Factors Leading to College Classroom Engagement for Millennials: Development of the College Classroom Engagement Scale
AU  - Suzanne Fischer Lindt
AU  - Stacia Celeste Miller
Y1  - 2018/08/16
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20180303.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.her.20180303.12
T2  - Higher Education Research
JF  - Higher Education Research
JO  - Higher Education Research
SP  - 38
EP  - 44
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-935X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20180303.12
AB  - This aim of this research study sought to define college classroom engagement from the perspective of Millennial students. A mixed-methods study was utilized to understand both quantitative and qualitative findings for the purpose of developing a measurement scale. The study was comprised of two different phases. In phase 1, students (n = 68) completed a demographic survey from which researchers invited students (n = 20) to participate in a focus group. Data analysis led researchers to identify five themes from the focus groups (relevance, instructional practices, class climate, professor traits, and student traits) to create a scale for measuring engagement in the classroom. The 30-item scale was comprised of five Likert statements for each of the six themes from phase 1. In phase 2, the scale was distributed to students (n = 177) on a university campus in the US. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted from the student responses and revealed 2 factors (Teaching Persona, α =.83 and Learning Environment α =.82) describing Millennial students’ reasons for engagement in the college classroom. The final scale of 18 items suggests that college students in the research study believe that they are more engaged in their college courses when they believe that their instructor exhibits traits demonstrating care and concern for students and when the instructor creates an environment conducive to learning. This research study and resulting scale may be helpful for guiding college faculty to develop their courses to better engage their college students in the classroom.
VL  - 3
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download