Winfield, Ruth

Parkes, Mitchell Robert

Fletcher, Peter

2024-10-02

Please contact rune@une.edu.au if you require access to this thesis for the purpose of research or study

<p>The purpose of this mixed methods action research was to investigate whether student engagement and teaching practice might be improved during the implementation of an Enterprise Skills course with a Year 8 student cohort in a high school setting. Specifically, this study focused on two broad Action Research questions: </p> <p>a) Will the introduction of the Enterprise Skills Course increase student engagement?</p> <p>b) Will the experience of teaching the Enterprise Skills Course improve the teaching practice of the teachers involved?</p> <p>The pragmatic research design included the collection of data across three phases over an entire school year from a study sample comprising 4 teachers, 128 students and the insider researcher. While the quantitative tool in the form of a student engagement survey showed no significant change in student engagement, the qualitative data tools including student and teacher surveys; student drawings; researcher memos; and artefacts, surfaced improvements in student engagement.</p> <p>The findings showed that students were more engaged when they gained skills in determining choices in their learning, saw the relevance of their learning, and could learn together in small groups. This increased agentic and social engagement. As students consolidated these skills, they described novel learning where they were able to use each other’s strengths to problem solve when they came across learning hurdles. Students committed to projects that had social impact for their peers nationally and internationally and extended their involvement with their peers in their local community. This led to increased skills in social engagement which were highly motivating and led beyond the school gate. </p> <p>Teachers expanded their reflective practice to collaborate as a teaching team. Through, shared observations and formative feedback from students, teaching practice shifted from content driven learning to a synergetic feedback mechanism between teacher and students that was used to design the teaching of Enterprise Skills. Students provided reflective feedback to teachers through teacher-led conversations. Shared teaching practice leading to increased student engagement was highly motivating for the teaching team and increased their confidence to adapt and improve their practice.</p>

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/64488

en

University of New England

A Mixed Methods Action Research Study Investigating Improvements in Student Engagement and Teaching Practice During the Implementation of an Enterprise Skills Course

Thesis Doctoral

Publication