Creating a safe climate for active learning and student engagement: an example from an introductory social work module

Abstract

This article explores the experiences of students who participated in a series of seminars that employed active learning methodologies. The study on which the article is based involved two parts. First, students completed a questionnaire after each seminar, resulting in 468 questionnaires. Second, nine students participated in a focus group where the questionnaire findings were explored. The research findings suggest that the students were highly engaged and that the mix of ‘doing’, ‘observing’ and ‘reflecting’ contributed to their engagement. However, in addition, the students’ perspectives suggested that the learning environment in which the seminars took place was of particular importance. Overall, the study highlights that while active learning methodologies contribute to student engagement, the atmosphere in which the methodologies are used is also of central importance. Therefore, as well as paying attention to the cognitive aspects of learning, teachers need to consider the affective domains.

Keywords:

• student engagement
• active learning
• student learning
• learning environment
• student experiences

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Geraldine O'Neill for her helpful suggestions in planning the article and Dr. Hilda Loughran for her comments on an earlier version of the article. A sincere thanks to the other seminar teachers, Elaine Brennan and Elaine Wilson, who so willingly facilitated the research and to the students who attended the seminars and took part in the study. Thanks also to Denise Nolan who facilitated the focus group and transcribed the data and to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.