Engagement, Academics, and Emotions in Online Learning

Grow X research analyzed data from an online learning platform that assessed student's engagement, skills in mathematics, and daily emotions.

Engagement in school is not simply a student sitting in their seat and paying attention. It is a combination of social, behavioral, cognitive, and even emotional factors that result in quality engagement for students. During the school day, students interact with peers and teachers, making social interactions a key part of staying engaged. At times, students need to work collaboratively to complete projects, which builds the social skills needed for success. Meeting certain behavioral expectations - following rules and completing tasks in a timely manner - are another sign of educational engagement. Active participation, and investment in one’s own learning, might look like asking questions or providing feedback to peers. Emotions also play a key role in educational engagement. If a student is feeling frustrated or anxious, they are much less likely to thrive in an educational setting. In contrast, positive emotions like enjoyment or pride can help students stay engaged while learning.

The paper by Grow X researchers, presented at the 14th Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference in Kyoto this past March, focused on the link between educational engagement, academic skills, and students’ emotions.

Data was collected from the I-TokTok platform, a learning management system used by K-12 students in the South Korean province of Gyeongsangnam-do. The online platform includes digital textbooks, instructional videos, and a place to submit assignments, alongside other features. Students can choose to complete an Emotion Check, where they are asked to reflect on how they are feeling and to select an emotion that best fits their mood. Alongside this emotion data, performance in math and engagement in the platform was analyzed.

Grow X research found an interesting relationship between school engagement, academic skills, and student’s emotions. The emotions that students experience while working on the online platform were shown to predict engagement, and in turn achievements in math. The students who reported positive emotions (ex. happy, proud), were more likely to show educational engagement, and scored higher on math assessments.

This study underlines the importance of emotional skills in education. Future Grow X research aims to further understand the relationship between engagement, academic skills, and emotions. For example, exploring other academic subjects outside of mathematics and the integration of other emotion-related skills such as emotion knowledge.

For more information, the full article can be accessed here.