dc.contributor.author	Lindsey, Marcia Camille
dc.coverage.spatial	Central and North America -- United States -- Georgia	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2016-06-27T14:43:41Z
dc.date.available	2016-06-27T14:43:41Z
dc.date.issued	2016-05
dc.identifier.other	UUID: 13d63b40-e0b1-496f-88fb-f2b079ce0706
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10428/2222
dc.description.abstract	In this phenomenological study, I explored perceptions about student engagement from secondary English teachers in Southwest Georgia, including their perceptions of their roles in relationship to student engagement. In addition, the confidence and enjoyment levels of participants in relationship to level of student engagement were examined. Traditionally, student engagement has been a construct researched with more focus on students’ attitudes about and involvement with classroom engagement. Therefore, teachers’ voices have been somewhat marginalized in the debate about how to get our students more engaged in learning and instruction. However, despite educators’ lack of significant input into this discussion of student engagement, which affects gains in academic achievement and graduation rate, teachers know what to look for and know what to do to increase student engagement. I also identified a lack of uniformity and consistency on the part of educators to implement effective teaching strategies that promote active student engagement from all students. Six current or former English teachers in the same high school in Southwest Georgia participated in the study; four females and two males. Their years of teaching experience ranged from 3 to 33 years and their ages ranged from 24 to 65 years old. In this study, I collected three types of data: individual interviews, a focus group interview, and field note observations. These methods combined added to the credibility and wealth of descriptive data collected. I examined each data source thoroughly during first and second coding cycles. To meet the challenges that confront educators and school systems and to provide a quality education for all students, a consistent focus must be placed on the implementation of effective, student-centered strategies that all teachers can use to cultivate student ownership and academic success in any secondary classroom. Participants described five major components to student engagement: (a) active student participation, (b) student connections, (c) instructional technology tools, (d) student characteristics, and (e) teacher engagement.	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	I. INTRODUCTION 10 -- Background 10 -- Statement of the Problem 13 -- Purpose of the Study 16 -- Significance of the Study 16 -- Research Questions 17 -- Definition of Key Terms 17 -- Summary 20 -- II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 21 -- Introduction 21 -- Student Engagement Defined as a Construct 22 -- Evidence of Student Disengagement 25 -- Student Characteristics and Student Engagement 27 -- Student Motivation and Student Engagement 30 -- Student Engagement and Classroom Culture 32 -- Student Engagement and Classroom Interventions 37 -- Student Engagement and Parental Involvement 39 -- Teachers’ Expectations and Student Engagement 41 -- Teachers’ Perceptions and Student Engagement 42 -- Teachers’ Roles in Student Engagement 44 -- Summary 49 -- -- III. METHODOLOGY 50 -- Introduction 50 -- Nature of Qualitative/Phenomenological Research 50 -- Research Questions 52 -- Research Design 52 -- Sample 54 -- Research Setting 55 -- Researcher’s Role 56 -- Data Collection 56 -- Observations 56 -- Field Notes 57 -- Interviews 57 -- Interview Schedule 59 -- Focus Groups 59 -- Transcriptions 60 -- Data Analysis 60 -- Narrative Analysis 60 -- Comparative Thematic Analysis 61 -- Representativeness, Credibility, Trustworthiness 62 -- Limitations of the Study 63 -- Researcher Subjectivity 63 -- Sample 63 -- Summary 64 -- IV. DATA ANALYSIS 65 -- Introduction 65 -- Organization of Data Analysis 66 -- Description of Participants 66 -- Overview of Teachers’ Perceptions of and Roles 70 -- Initial Teacher Interviews 71 -- Focus Group Interviews 74 -- Field Notes 76 -- Summary 78 -- V. DATA PRESENTATION FOR RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1 AND 2 79 -- Themes One, Two, and Four 79 -- Table 1: Final Thematic Analysis……………………………………….80 -- Theme One: Active Student Participation as an -- Essential Component 81 -- Theme Two: Student Connections as an Essential Component 84 -- Theme Four: Student Characteristics Associated with -- Disengagement/Engagement 87 -- VI. DATA PRESENTATION FOR RESEARCH QUESTIONS 3 -- AND 4..................... 92 -- Themes Three and Five 92 -- Theme Three: Instructional Technology Tools as an -- Essential Component 92 -- Theme Five: Teacher Engagement as an Essential Component 95 -- -- VII. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS 100 -- Introduction 100 -- Summary of the Study 100 -- Findings 103 -- Conclusions 105 -- Conclusion 1: Teachers’ Perceptions about Student Engagement in -- Their Classrooms 105 -- Conclusion 2: Teachers’ Perceptions about How Student Engagement -- Impacts Their Confidence in and Enjoyment of Teaching 109 -- Conclusion 3: Teachers’ Perceptions about Their Roles Concerning -- Student Engagement 112 -- Conclusion 4: Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Future Roles in the -- Improvement of Student Engagement 114 -- Implications 116 -- Suggestions for Future Research .119 -- Summary 121 -- REFERENCES 125 -- APPENDIX A: Institutional Review Board Approval Notification 134 -- APPENDIX B: Sample of Field Notes 137 -- APPENDIX C: Teacher Interview Questions 141 -- APPENDIX D: Focus Group Interview Questions 144 -- APPENDIX E: Individual Interview Transcripts 146 -- APPENDIX F: Focus Group Interview Transcripts 190 -- APPENDIX G: Interview Data Analysis Chart 196 -- APPENDIX H: Sample of Thematic Coding Process 211	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	High school students--Attitudes	en_US
dc.subject	United States--Georgia	en_US
dc.subject	Education--Study and teaching	en_US
dc.title	Student Engagement in Secondary English Classes: Teachers' Perceptions and Roles	en_US
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Department of Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology of the Dewar College of Education and Human Services	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Wiley, Ellen W.
dc.description.committee	Smith, Ann Marie
dc.description.committee	Sewell, Donna N.
dc.description.committee	Raiford, Simmie A.
dc.description.degree	Ed.D.	en_US
dc.description.major	Curriculum and Instruction	en_US