Increasing Student Engagement Using Effective and Metacognitive Writing Strategies in Content Areas

Abstract

The issue of school failure at the 9th grade level is of great concern to educators. In this study, the author examined the use of cognitive, affective, and metacognitive questioning strategies in a 9th grade world history class as a means to increase student engagement and academic success. Through the use of structured journal questions over a 12-week period, students who responded only to text-related questions showed no benefit compared to students who did not participate in journal questions at all. Students who responded to metacognitive and affective questions in addition to text-related questions demonstrated better retention of content material as evidenced by course grades at the end of the study. These results suggest that students who respond to questions designed to promote thinking as well as personal connections, experience a positive effect on achievement.

Keywords:

• affective
• at risk
• journals
• metacognition