Students’ attention in class: patterns, perceptions of cause and a tool for measuring classroom quality of life
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v8i2.427Keywords:
attention; FLOW; student engagement; language learning; learner training; evaluation of teachingAbstract
Constructs such as engagement and FLOW have been well-developed and studied in education contexts. Sustained attention, a distinct but related concept, has been less studied, particularly in the language classroom and foreign language medium education. In a case study involving mixed methods, predominantly structured qualitative data, student attention was measured repeatedly during a university pre-sessional EAP course. The aim was to compare with previous research on the relationship between attention and time/stages of lessons and reveal any additional attention patterns based on interaction types (group work, individual work, full class). In addition, repeated surveys were used to reveal what students perceived as damaging to attention and also the perceived value of exercise breaks. Results suggested significance in attention changes over time and between teacher talking time, group work and individual interaction types. The study design itself forms a simple and effective tool to improve classroom life including teachers’ monitoring of class dynamics and for students, a means of self-reflection to increase learning performance.
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Vossel, S., Geng, J. J., & Fink, G. R. (2014). Dorsal and ventral attention systems: Distinct neural circuits but collaborative roles. The Neuroscientist, 20(2), 150–159.
Watson, A., Timperio, A., Brown, H., Best, K., & Hesketh, K. D. (2017). Effect of classroom-based physical activity interventions on academic and physical activity outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 114.
Wen, Z. (Edward), & Ahmadian, M. J. (2019). Researching L2 Task Performance and Pedagogy: In honour of Peter Skehan. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Williams, L. (2015). Neurotransmitters: Critical amino acids affecting serotonin and dopamine.
Wilson, K., & Korn, J. H. (2007). Attention During Lectures: Beyond Ten Minutes. Teaching of Psychology, 34(2), 85–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/00986280701291291
Wlodkowski, R. J., & Ginsberg, M. B. (2017). Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults. John Wiley & Sons.
Baker, R. L., & Brown, D. P. (2013). On Engagement: Learning to Pay Attention. UALR L. Rev., 36, 337.
Bunce, D. M., Flens, E. A., & Neiles, K. Y. (2010). How long can students pay attention in class? A study of student attention decline using clickers. Journal of Chemical Education, 87(12), 1438–1443.
Cross, K. P., & Angelo, T. A. (1988). Classroom Assessment Techniques. A Handbook for Faculty.
De Vaus, D., & de Vaus, D. (2013). Surveys in social research. Routledge.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Intrinsic Motivation. In The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology (pp. 1–2). American Cancer Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470479216.corpsy0467
Dickinson, L. (1995). Autonomy and motivation a literature review. System, 23(2), 165–174.
Donnelly, J. E., & Lambourne, K. (2011). Classroom-based physical activity, cognition, and academic achievement. Preventive Medicine, 52, S36–S42.
Douglas, J., Douglas, A., & Barnes, B. (2006). Measuring student satisfaction at a UK university. Quality Assurance in Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880610678568
Egbert, J. (2004). A study of flow theory in the foreign language classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review, 60(5), 549–586.
Faber, L. G., Maurits, N. M., & Lorist, M. M. (2012). Mental fatigue affects visual selective attention. PloS One, 7(10), e48073.
Farley, J., Risko, E., & Kingstone, A. (2013). Everyday attention and lecture retention: The effects of time, fidgeting, and mind wandering. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 619.
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109.
Gieve, S., & Miller, I. K. (2006). What do we mean by ‘quality of classroom life’? In Understanding the language classroom (pp. 18–46). Springer.
Graef, R., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & McManama Gianinno, S. (1983). Measuring intrinsic motivation in everyday life. Leisure Studies, 2(2), 155–168.
Heim, S., & Keil, A. (2012). Developmental trajectories of regulating attentional selection over time. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 277.
Hlas, A. C., Neyers, K., & Molitor, S. (2019). Measuring student attention in the second language classroom. Language Teaching Research, 23(1), 107–125.
Howatt, A. P. R., & Widdowson, H. G. (2004). A History of ELT, Second Edition. OUP Oxford.
Isbell, E., Stevens, C., Pakulak, E., Hampton Wray, A., Bell, T. A., & Neville, H. J. (2017). Neuroplasticity of selective attention: Research foundations and preliminary evidence for a gene by intervention interaction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(35), 9247–9254. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1707241114
Jan W. de Fockert, Rees, G., Frith, C. D., & Lavie, N. (2001). The Role of Working Memory in Visual Selective Attention. Science, 291(5509), 1803–1806. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1056496
Kamps, D. M., Leonard, B. R., Dugan, E. P., Boland, B., & Greenwood, C. R. (1991). The use of ecobehavioral assessment to identify naturally occurring effective procedures in classrooms serving students with autism and other developmental disabilities. Journal of Behavioral Education, 1(4), 367–397.
Kramer, A. F., Wiegmann, D. A., & Kirlik, A. (2006). Attention: From theory to practice. Oxford University Press.
Kruk, M., & Zawodniak, J. (2019). On the possible interactions of varied EFL activities and learning styles with EFL students’ motivational changes. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 13(2), 178–193.
Lan, X., Ponitz, C. C., Miller, K. F., Li, S., Cortina, K., Perry, M., & Fang, G. (2009). Keeping their attention: Classroom practices associated with behavioral engagement in first grade mathematics classes in China and the United States. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24(2), 198–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.03.002
Lavie, N. (2005). Distracted and confused?: Selective attention under load. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(2), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2004.12.004
Liu, C. H., & Matthews, R. (2005). Vygotsky’s Philosophy: Constructivism and Its Criticisms Examined. International Education Journal, 6(3), 386–399.
MacInnes, J. J., Dickerson, K. C., Chen, N., & Adcock, R. A. (2016). Cognitive neurostimulation: Learning to volitionally sustain ventral tegmental area activation. Neuron, 89(6), 1331–1342.
Mann, S. J. (2001). Alternative perspectives on the student experience: Alienation and engagement. Studies in Higher Education, 26(1), 7–19.
Mayer, R. E. (2004). Should there be a three-strikes rule against pure discovery learning? American Psychologist, 59(1), 14.
Menon, V., & Uddin, L. Q. (2010). Saliency, switching, attention and control: A network model of insula function. Brain Structure and Function, 214(5–6), 655–667.
Nikolla, D., Edgar, G., Catherwood, D., & Matthews, T. (2018). Can bottom-up processes of attention be a source of ‘interference’ in situations where top-down control of attention is crucial? British Journal of Psychology, 109(1), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12251
Sarter, M., Givens, B., & Bruno, J. P. (2001). The cognitive neuroscience of sustained attention: Where top-down meets bottom-up. Brain Research Reviews, 35(2), 146–160.
Schwartz, J. M., Stapp, H. P., & Beauregard, M. (2005). Quantum physics in neuroscience and psychology: A neurophysical model of mind–brain interaction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 360(1458), 1309–1327.
Shernoff, D. J., Csikszentmihalyi, M., Schneider, B., & Shernoff, E. S. (2014). Student engagement in high school classrooms from the perspective of flow theory. In Applications of flow in human development and education (pp. 475–494). Springer.
Vossel, S., Geng, J. J., & Fink, G. R. (2014). Dorsal and ventral attention systems: Distinct neural circuits but collaborative roles. The Neuroscientist, 20(2), 150–159.
Watson, A., Timperio, A., Brown, H., Best, K., & Hesketh, K. D. (2017). Effect of classroom-based physical activity interventions on academic and physical activity outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 114.
Wen, Z. (Edward), & Ahmadian, M. J. (2019). Researching L2 Task Performance and Pedagogy: In honour of Peter Skehan. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Williams, L. (2015). Neurotransmitters: Critical amino acids affecting serotonin and dopamine.
Wilson, K., & Korn, J. H. (2007). Attention During Lectures: Beyond Ten Minutes. Teaching of Psychology, 34(2), 85–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/00986280701291291
Wlodkowski, R. J., & Ginsberg, M. B. (2017). Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults. John Wiley & Sons.
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