3 types of engagement to help you do better in school 🙌

Do you ever feel disconnected or uninterested in your learning experience?

It's easy to fall behind when class content doesn't click with you. However, a different approach to learning can make the learning experience more meaningful. The three types of engagement — affective, cognitive, and behavioral — can help you find a deeper meaning and better understand the material.

Use these three types of engagement to spark your learning and excel in school!

The three types of engagement were proposed by education psychologist James Appleton in 2008. Appleton looked into the three driving factors of academic success: attitude, behavior, and cognitive function.

According to Appleton, these dimensions are key to:

• Keeping students interested.

• Providing students with opportunities for curiosity and exploration.

Successful students had elements of each dimension. They were intrinsically motivated (self-driven) to learn and challenge themselves.

Attitude, behavior, and cognitive function strengthen academic and personal growth by giving you the confidence and responsibility to advocate for your learning. With this mindset, you'll become more successful in school and driven toward positive attitudes and behavior.

Affective engagement is about the feelings and emotions behind an action. At school, this ties to your enjoyment and interest in class material because feelings will determine whether you pay attention or participate in the class.

This also connects you to your peers and the classroom environment because they affect your learning experience, too.

According to the University of California, Merced, the greater your affective engagement, the more positive your attitude toward your learning. This will encourage you to invest more time and effort in your learning.

What can I do to be more affectively engaged?

• Link your interests to your learning (ex. learn the physics of motion using soccer as an example).

• Think of the content in real-world/everyday situations (ex. the science of light in rainbows and mirrors).

• Connect with classmates so that you can support each other.

• Do not let mistakes set you back — learn from your errors and try again.

Behavioral engagementemphasizes your physical involvement toward the task at hand. It to active learning and hands-on learning,where you focus on an activity and engage with the material and environment.

Cornell University highlights participation as key to your behavioral engagement because you become part of the learning experience, which will help you get more out of your class.

If you're easily distracted or tend to get bored quickly, focusing on your behavioral engagement can make a huge difference in your studies. Set yourself up for success by being present and engaging with the class!

What can I do to be more behaviorally engaged?

• Attend your classes consistently. If you miss a day of class, catch up on the material by reaching out to your classmates or teacher.

• Come to class prepared (ex. notes, pencils, laptop, books, etc.).

• Be engaged with the class by asking questions and participating in the activities.

• Complete all of the classwork on time, including homework and projects.

• Remove distractions from your environment (ex. phone, loud areas).

Cognitive engagement focuses on how much mental effort you dedicate toward a task. This involves solving problems, analyzing data, and asking and answering questions —activities that are key to studying. Effort and focus matter in helping you understand the content and draw connections.

If you've ever had to re-read a passage multiple times because you couldn't recall what you read, you probably weren't cognitively engaged so you were unable to focus. Boredom or disinterest could also affect your focus, so prioritize engagement and personal connections to study effectively and efficiently!

What can I do to be more cognitively engaged?

• Make your study environment peaceful without distractions (ex. silence your phone, study at a library).

• Use graphic organizers to sort out your information and make clear connections (ex. tree map, Venn diagram).

• Watch YouTube videos and tutorials that explain the content in an engaging way.

• Game-ify the content while studying! Turn your learning into a fun game. Quizlet, Blooket, and Kahoot! are popular sites where you can create your own study sets or play sets created by community members.

Joshua wants to do better in his science class. The latest lessons are about gravity. He has not skipped a day of class and focuses well in class. He takes notes, consistently asks questions during the lesson, and often reaches out to his classmates. However, he has trouble understanding how gravity works.

What should Joshua do to understand the material better?

A. Game-ify the content so he can remember the facts better.

B. Apply the content to the real world, such as investigating how gravity makes objects fall.

C. Watch videos that explain how gravity works differently.

D. Start studying at the library for better focus.

Focusing on the three types of engagement will keep you invested in your schoolwork in a meaningful way, which will help improve your grade! Affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement work together to help you focus and make the most out of your classes.

Think about a class or subject that you may feel disengaged with.What kind of engagement are you missing? What strategy can you apply to get back on track? With the right mindset and smart study strategies, you are ready to ace your next test!

Remember to use all three types of engagement!