Daring to discuss: analyzing engagement and equality in high school discussions

ABSTRACT

There is a large body of research around the effectiveness of active participation and in-class discussion as a means to promote students’ critical thinking and communication skills. However, little research exists that investigates the factors that affect the equality of participation in classroom discussions. Therefore, this study analyzes relationships between students’ levels of engagement and the levels of equity of participation during discussion-based classes. This study’s data suggested that: (1) Behavioral Engagement may be a significant positive predictor of a discussion’s equality and (2) Cognitive Engagement may be a significant negative predictor of a discussion’s equality.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.