The conceptualization and measurement of student engagement in science: A cross-cultural examination from Finland and the United States

Recent policy changes leading to the development of new standards in both the United States and Finland highlight the prioritization of improving opportunities for students to increase their engagement in science. While the goal of engaging students in their learning is highly desirable and can elicit images of eager students on the edge of their seats with hands raised or a group of students working together to build a model, the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral manifestations of engagement may look different for each student, teacher, classroom, and subject. Engagement varies by student and each moment of the day contributes to the type of experience that occurs (Martin et al., 2015). Research demonstrates that high student engagement is an important condition that can contribute to multiple student outcomes, including improved classroom behavior, increased student achievement, reduced likelihood of dropping out, increased high school completion, and college matriculation (Klem & Connell, 2004; National Research Council [NRC], 2004; Shernoff, D., Csikszentmihalyi, Schneider, & Shernoff, E., 2003; Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000). © 2018 World Education Research Association.