There are always various push-and-pull factors that contribute to students’ disillusionment with education or an educational institution; however, if students can be made to see that they too hold a stake in their engagement, it would have a positive, all-round effect.
What does the term ‘engagement’ signify, though? It’s curiosity, it’s involvement, it’s the level of interaction (which includes time and effort) between students and their institutions/teachers. Yes, while teachers will continue to carry the baton of challenging and stimulating students sufficiently for them to remain engaged, students too must partake of this stimulation equally, rather than just drag themselves to the classroom for the sake of attendance or parental wrath.
The socio-economic factor is a crucial one to be considered here; in my opinion, it is something that teachers, whether they’re teaching in Asia or grammar schools in the UK, need to be sensitive about and it is something I am particularly aware of during my experience of teaching at a Thai international university for the last few years.
Educational institutions that are sought after either for the quality of their teaching or the multiple disciplines/facilities they provide, are the top choices for students even from comparatively economically challenged backgrounds. However, very often it so happens that the family is then unable to sustain paying the fees. In such instances, there is tremendous pressure on students to graduate as soon as possible so as to ease the financial burden on the parents (most particularly in Asian societies) that they experience feelings of being “cut off” from their relatively more financially secure peers.
College life is now perceived as mere drudgery. This can severely impact a student’s mental and psychological well-being, as can the factor of “fitting in” among peers from more privileged backgrounds.
Furthermore, family changes such as divorce, death or even relatively simple factors such as long daily commutes, affect a student’s psyche and ability to concentrate in class. In such states of near emotional or physical exhaustion, it is not possible to expect a student to remain engaged. However, a teacher sensitive to such factors can still save the student from reaching a tipping point.
A good teacher is not just one who can foster academic skills, but one who can create a conducive, classroom emotional climate (CEC), which means a teacher who is sensitive, empathetic and nurturing.
Various studies have found that students who have inviting learning environments, who are encouraged to express their opinions and who have teachers who are approachable to discuss academic progress, are more likely to engage.
A teacher must learn to invest in the emotional, psychological and mental wellbeing of a student too, because failure to do so can lead to disenchantment on part of the student with the system/institution at large, which is giving rise to one of the most crucial issues facing educational institutions these days – the high drop-out rate.
One way to create such engagement equity among students would be for teachers to consider student attitudes and perspectives towards learning. If students perceive their teachers as being engaged in their academic as well as psychological well-being, it will awaken greater levels of interest within them, which of course, is instrumental in creating the ideal CEC.
Secondly, keeping the Thai context uppermost here, educational institutions should deploy all their available resources, including support services, in keeping students engaged. If students see themselves as part of a community where their overall development will be supported; where facilities will be made available so that their social skills can also be engaged, in terms of various clubs, sports facilities, library, cafes on the campus so they can “hang out” with friends and relax, they will have an intrinsic interest in staying and engaging in their academic experience.
Indeed, it is time to acknowledge the fact that, just as academic institutions have high expectations of their students, so too do students have expectations of their institutions. Many universities are now beginning to think of their students as “clients”, in which case, if the service provider (the university) meets the expectations, the client will stay, or else, will leave.
Should such an opportune environment be made available, then yes, students must definitely hold an equity or responsibility in their own engagement.
The pictures by Pixabay have been used for illustrative purposes only
