Factors Influencing Student Engagement and the Role of Technology in Student Engagement in Higher Education: Campus-Class-Technology Theory

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine both the factors influencing student engagement and the role and influence of technology on student engagement. The study is important as it aimed at determining the views of students about student engagement and examining in detail the research data to be collected with two different data collection techniques. The present study was designed as a grounded theory study. The research sample included a total of 45 student teachers. Of all the participants, 25 of them participated in face-to-face Interviews, and 20 of them were asked to take part in written compositions. In conclusion, it was seen that the components constituting and influencing student engagement were found to be campus engagement and class engagement. It was found out that for most of the participating students, use of technology in class was not an indispensable factor for student engagement. In addition, an effective technology integration would not only contribute much to student engagement but also constitute an important way of increasing student engagement. Finally, it was seen that use of technology in instructional activities constituted an important factor for student engagement, when the findings obtained via the interviews and the written compositions were taken into consideration together