The Relationship of Affective, Behavioral and Cognitive Engagements in ESL Higher Learning Classroom

Abstract

The 21st Century learning deems various transformative skills learners in order to equip the fresh graduates for the demand of the fast changing industry. One of the ways to ensure an effective learning environment is by establishing strong student engagement in the classrooms. Student engagement can be observed in several dimensions; behavioral, affective and cognitive. The present study uncovered the levels of student engagement in these three dimensions and their relationship with each other in an ESL course in a public university in Malaysia. The population was 180 undergraduates of the second semester and 120 undergraduates were randomly selected by cluster sampling. The researchers adopted a mixed-method approach that focused more on the quantitative approach. A questionnaire with 5-Likert scale items and open-ended questions were utilized. The analysis revealed a moderate level of engagement during instruction and affective engagement as the highest form of engagement among the students in the classroom. Pearson Correlation analysis presented moderate to strong, significant and positive relationships among the three dimensions. This study proves the importance of student engagement in higher education learning as an element that demands to be considered in the teaching instruction, and program administration planning.