Sustaining pupil engagement in literacy lessons

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How was the study designed?

This study was part of a larger, two-year study on literacy teaching and pupil achievement. The larger study involved 13 schools and 46 classrooms of children aged 5-8 years. The participating schools had received a grant to implement one of several different models of teaching literacy. Some of these models involved following a scripted approach; others were more open. School leaders were asked to recommend teachers who had proved particularly successful at implementing the particular model for at least a year.

The researchers collected data in three ways:

by observing the teachers for 1-3 hours (depending on the length of the literacy session) and making field notes;
interviewing the teachers about their practices; and
completing an observation instrument after leaving the site that helped them to reflect and quantify what they had observed.

To help them analyse the instruction they had observed, the researchers noted and calculated for example:

the activities in which the children were involved;
the percentage of time the children spent reading and working on isolated skills; and
the percentage of time the children appeared to be bored and off-task.

Altogether, the researchers gathered 75 data sets. For the study that forms the basis of this article, the researchers analysed a subset of 28 data sets, chosen because they showed low levels of engagement by the pupils (off-task for at least 25% of the time). They coded and analysed 73 activity settings from these 28 data sets according to a framework they identified in their literature review that comprised six criteria: choice, challenge, control, collaboration, constructing meaning, and consequences. The activities were defined as having a particular focus or learning objective, a beginning and an end, and they lasted between 5 and 55 minutes (20 minutes on average). For example, a literacy event in which a teacher read a storybook aloud counted as one activity; switching to small group guided reading counted as another.

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Research Home Themes \| Find digests \| About the digests resources glossary researchers contact TRIPS Introduction What factors were associated with off and on-task behaviour? What kind of tasks and activities disengaged pupils? How did lessons involving closed tasks affect pupils? How was the study designed? Implications Where can I find out more? Send us your feedback Collated digests To find out more about collated digests click here Get Word Reader Sustaining pupil engagement in literacy lessons This digest found in English Behaviour Send to a friend Word doc 60KB Printer friendly Collate for later How was the study designed? This study was part of a larger, two-year study on literacy teaching and pupil achievement. The larger study involved 13 schools and 46 classrooms of children aged 5-8 years. The participating schools had received a grant to implement one of several different models of teaching literacy. Some of these models involved following a scripted approach; others were more open. School leaders were asked to recommend teachers who had proved particularly successful at implementing the particular model for at least a year. The researchers collected data in three ways: by observing the teachers for 1-3 hours (depending on the length of the literacy session) and making field notes; interviewing the teachers about their practices; and completing an observation instrument after leaving the site that helped them to reflect and quantify what they had observed. To help them analyse the instruction they had observed, the researchers noted and calculated for example: the activities in which the children were involved; the percentage of time the children spent reading and working on isolated skills; and the percentage of time the children appeared to be bored and off-task. Altogether, the researchers gathered 75 data sets. For the study that forms the basis of this article, the researchers analysed a subset of 28 data sets, chosen because they showed low levels of engagement by the pupils (off-task for at least 25% of the time). They coded and analysed 73 activity settings from these 28 data sets according to a framework they identified in their literature review that comprised six criteria: choice, challenge, control, collaboration, constructing meaning, and consequences. The activities were defined as having a particular focus or learning objective, a beginning and an end, and they lasted between 5 and 55 minutes (20 minutes on average). For example, a literacy event in which a teacher read a storybook aloud counted as one activity; switching to small group guided reading counted as another.