Student hand-raising as an indicator of behavioral engagement and its role in classroom learning

• Published in: Contemporary educational psychology Vol. 62; p. 101894
• Main Authors: Böheim, Ricardo, Urdan, Tim, Knogler, Maximilian, Seidel, Tina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Cognitive elaborations; Student engagement; Student hand-raising; Student learning; Teacher emotional support; Video analysis; Cognitive elaborations; Student hand-raising; Student learning; Video analysis; Student engagement; Teacher emotional support
• ISSN: 0361-476X; 1090-2384
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101894

•Hand-raising is tested as a novel and useful indicator of behavioral engagement.•Hand-raising is associated with student achievement.•Hand-raising relates to cognitive engagement and teacher emotional support. Hand-raising is an everyday student behavior during classroom discourse. The present study investigates hand-raising as an observable indicator of behavioral engagement and its relation to student achievement. We examine students’ hand-raising behavior during a videotaped lesson in high school classrooms (N = 266 students). Results from multilevel regression modeling linked the frequency of students’ engagement in hand-raising to academic achievement. Further, structural equation modeling was applied to investigate the interrelations between hand-raising, cognitive engagement, and teacher emotional support. Results indicate that hand-raising is associated with cognitive engagement and perceptions of teacher support and suggest that hand-raising may mediate the relation between teacher emotional support and academic achievement. The discussion highlights the utility of student hand-raising as a proxy for students’ active participation and engagement. We emphasize the study’s contribution to the engagement literature.