Levels of Engagement (Text Version)
Levels of Engagement
(Text Version)
According to Phillip Schlechty, there are fie ways that students respond or adapt to school-related tasks and activities.
1. Engagement - High Attention, High Commitment
The student associates the task with the result or product that has meaning and value for the student. The student will persist in the face of difficulty and will learn at high and profound levels.
2. Strategic Compliance - High Attention, Low Commitment
The task has little inherent or direct value to the student, but the student associates it with outcomes or results that do have value to the student (such as grades). Student will abandon work if extrinsic goals are not realized and will not retain what is learned.
3. Ritual Compliance - Low Attention, Low Commitment
The student is willing to expend whatever effort is needed to avoid negative consequences. The emphasis is on meeting the minimum requirements. The student will learn at low and superficial levels.
4. Retreatism - No Attention, No Commitment
The student is disengaged from the task and does not attempt to comply with its demands, but does not try to disrupt the work or substitute other activities for it. The student does not participate and learns little or nothing from the task.
5. Rebellion - Diverted Attention, No Commitment
The student refuses to do the work, and acts in ways to disrupt others, or substitutes tasks and activities to which he or she is committed. Student develops poor work sometimes negative attitudes towards formal education and intellectual tasks.
Classroom Examples
At the bottom of the chart are three pie charts, showing representative levels of engagement in typical classrooms.
The Highly Engaged Classroom has more than 50% of learners as engaged, about a third in strategic compliance, and the rest in ritual compliance or retreatism. There are no rebellious students.
The Well Managed Classroom has about 10% of students engaged, about 40% in strategic compliance, about 40% in ritual compliance, and 10% in retreatism. There are no rebellious students.
The Pathological Classroom has about 5% of engaged students, 30% in strategic compliance, 30% in ritual compliance, 20% in retreatism, and 20% in rebellion.