Exploring the Relationship between Types of Engagement and Value-added Scores in Undergraduate Students

Jason C. Lyons & Gina B. Polychronopoulos   |    Volume Fourteen  |   

Throughout the literature there is ongoing discussion about what constitutes student engagement and how it is defined. Most metrics evaluate student engagement through behavioral engagement rather than including other aspects such as cognitive or emotional engagement (Lester, 2013). Engaging in activities considered to be “high-impact practices” during undergraduate studies is related to academic success (e.g., Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2007; Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt, 2005). The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the relationship between different types of student engagement (i.e., behavioral, cognitive, and emotional) and value-added scores in undergraduate students. Types of engagement (i.e., cognitive and psychological/emotional engagement) were observed through participation in student activities and programs such as the Leadership Programs (LP) and Greek Life. Scores on the Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus (CLA+) were used to assess value-added, longitudinally comparing the change from students’ first-year and senior-year administrations of the test. We sought to better understand the relationship between different types of student engagement and explore which of those may have influenced the value-added scores in undergraduate students.

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