• A Three-Component Model of Student Engagement

  10/06/2026

  Marcus G. Yeo

  School of Instructor Education, Vancouver Community College

  PIDP 3250: Student engagement

  Instructor: Jacquie Harrison

  May 21, 2026

  A Three-Component Model of Student Engagement

  “Student engagement is a mental state that is the product of motivation and active learning.” (Barkley & Major, 2020)

              Objective: Two-component models of student engagement group thinking and doing into the broad category of ‘active learning’, with the actual task, or ‘active learning technique’, being a support to reinforce theory. They dismiss the physical act of generation, and undervalue free reflection. A three-component model is proposed.

              Reflective: Before researching the subject, I thought about what student engagement meant to me. Good engagement is enthusiastic participation and reflection. It’s seen in their posture, eye contact, and reaction time. I hear it in their answers, and identify it by their questions. They display engagement through physical output- be it a gesture, remark, or submission.

              How I increase engagement is three-fold. First, I explain why it’s valuable (affective). Second, I talk about how we find success (cognitive). Then, I demonstrate it can be done, and they practice (psychomotor). Feel, Think, Do.

              Barkley and Major (2020) presents a two-component model, where engagement is the product of motivation (affective) and active learning (cognitive), defined as “doing what we think and thinking about what we are doing.” (Bonwell & Eison, 1991). They argue that action has no effect on engagement, as engagement is a mental state. They place over-emphasis on the motivational component, referring to it as “the portal to engagement.” (Barkley & Major, 2020), and by combining knowledge and action into active learning, leave no room for free, or unassigned, reflection. This type of reflection occurs after active learning, and is unencumbered by the confines of reality. Just as action is bound to the laws of physics. Neither are represented.

              Interpretive: Even if taken as fact, and engagement is only a mental state, then studies showing physical activity’s ability to increase cognitive functioning (Mualem et al., 2018) indicate the existence of a psychomotor lever capable of influence.

              Adding a social component, Taylor and Marienau (2016) looked at the collected works of Brookfield, Fahim, and Wilbur, concluding “brief venture into the unknown will trigger mildly increased adrenaline or cortisol production, which can enhance learning.” Simply getting up and moving in a social setting can improve engagement. More evidence of a psychomotor component.

              The pandemic of 2019 afforded an opportunity to compare the engagement of online versus in-person delivery. A study by Raes (2021) “did not find any significant differences between physical and remote presence regarding conceptual understanding, yet significant differences were found in regard of affective engagement in favour of the on-site students and remote students having the opportunity to interact.”         Here mere physical presence is seen to improve engagement.

              Fredricks et al. (2004) come close with a three-component model comprised of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural engagement, but miss in the same way as Barkley and Major’s assertation that “the physical act of learning behaviours” is not a “separate factor or type of engagement.” (2020). It’s not about learning or demonstrating behaviours, it’s about experiencing the process of generation via the human interface. Typing each letter of each word in an essay, or cutting and shaping each piece of wood for a chair. This desirable difficulty (Bjork, 1994) makes the work tangible and personal. It improves engagement by feeding a sense of self-worth, showing progress, and proving theory.

  Decisional: Student engagement has three components; motivation (affective), reflection (cognitive), and action (psychomotor). Expressed as an intensity on a scale of zero to five, and depicted as spheres of influence, the components equally overlapped produce realms of engagement.

  

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  The Variable Component Contribution (VCC) model overcomes the argument against a traditional Venn diagram, only expressing overlap, by introducing intensities of influence. A departure from the Fredricks et al. (2004) wheel of engagement, and the double helix of Barkley and Major (2020), this three-component model affords greater accuracy in plotting level and predominant types of engagement.

  Levels of force:

              Motivation                              Reflection                                           Action

                          0 Apathy                                0 Ignorance                                        0 Still

                          1 Concern                               1 Awareness                                        1 Active

                          2 Inclination                           2 Understanding                                 2 Proficient

                          3 Investment                         3 Selection                                          3 Skilled

                          4 Passion                                4 Deconstruction                               4 Masterful

                          5 Zeal                                      5 Invention                                          5 Flowing

  Types of Engagement:

  Active Engagement is the combined forces of motivation, reflection, and action. It is where learning occurs.

  Passive Engagement lacks at least one component, and doesn’t contribute to learning.

  • Automated Engagement is motivated action without reflection.
  • Philosophical Engagement is motivated reflection, but no action.
  • Practical Engagement is action and reflection, without motivation.

  Calculating Engagement:

  Product of all components present.

  Percentage of total potential area.

  References

  Barkley, E.F. & Major, C.H. (2020). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley Jossey-Bass.

  Bjork, R. A. (1994). Memory and metamemory considerations in the training of human beings. In J. Metcalfe & A. Shimamura (Eds.), Metacognition: Knowing about knowing (pp. 185–205). MIT Press.

  Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J.A. (1991) Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. Washington, DC: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.

  Fredericks, 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.

  Mualem, R., Leisman, G., Zbedat, Y., Ganem, S., Mualem, O., Amaria, M., Kozle, A., Khayat-Moughrabi, S., & Ornai, A. (2018). The Effect of Movement on Cognitive Performance. Frontiers in public health, 6, 100. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00100

  Taylor, K., & Marienau, C. (2016). Facilitating learning with the adult brain in mind: A conceptual and practical guide. Jossey-Bass.

  Raes, A. (2021). Exploring Student and Teacher Experiences in Hybrid Learning Environments: Does Presence Matter? Postdigital Science and Education. 4. 138-159. 10.1007/s42438-021-00274-0.

  Intellectual Disclosure: No generative AI was used in the creation of this document.

• The Brilliance of a Dummy Hand

  03/08/2025

  Most of us can recount a time we’ve sat down to play a new card game, and after having the rules explained, still don’t quite understand. So, the decision is made to play a practice round, or as it’s known- a dummy hand. Usually, after that, all parties have a better understanding of the game ahead.

  So why don’t we do this in education? Studies have shown that practical application of a knowledge, prior to theoretical study, increases success rates by 25-30%. Showing relevance is an excellent way to promote learning.

  When I first started instructing, I was told ‘the new generation like to know context. How it applies to real life. They want a big picture.’ I thought, I must be ahead of my time, because I was constantly asking that question as a student. Turns out it’s a common desire. Goes back to Aristotle.

  We’ve lost our way in education. We need to expose big ideas, then supply the rationale. Not the other way around.

  Do, then discuss.

• How to learn a hand skill.

  02/08/2025

  Bilateral Transfer is grasping a skill with both hands. It refers to the idea that we are better able to acquire a new skill, if we practice with both our dominant and non-dominant hands. A number of experiments support this theory (Halsband & Lange, 2006. Senff & Weigelt, 2011. Stöckel & Weigelt & Krug, 2011).

  Some context:

  I’ve only recently discovered the term bilateral transfer, but I’ve been working with it for years. When I first started delivering welding classes, I wanted to make sure I was able to easily perform any weld I might encounter in the field. So, I practiced to a goal of perfection.

  At one point, while struggling to complete, I used my non-dominant hand out of desperation. My success was not great, but when I went back to my dominant hand, I found improvement. From there, I incorporated the practice into my curriculum. Any time a student struggled to make a weld, I’d suggest they try with their other hand. It has usually provided positive results.

  I explain it to the student this way: There are three advantages to using your opposite hand. Firstly, it’s like you’re creating a second pathway to the same end. By using your other hand, you activate the other side of your brain, and build new connections (bilateral transfer). Second, because you’re doing something new, you spend a bit of time thinking about how you do that, how you are going to do it in mirror, and then take any discoveries back to your dominant hand (critical reflection (Brookfield, 1991)). Thirdly, I tell them it doesn’t matter if they succeed or not. They are at the disadvantage of using their non-dominant and unpracticed hand, any expectation of a better result is unrealistic. Have some fun with it (gamification).

  The Evidence:

  One of the studies that looked at bilateral transfer, focused on the sequential effects of practicing with either the dominant or non-dominant hand, before being tested with the dominant hand (Senff & Weigelt, 2011). They found that those that first practiced with their non-dominant hand, then their dominant hand (nd/d), showed greater ability than those that practiced with their dominant hand, then their non-dominant (d/nd). Similarly, the nd/d group outperformed those that practiced exclusively with their dominant hand (d/d). It was also noted that those that practiced with only their non-dominant hand (nd/nd), ranked second in terms of performance.

  Another set of experiments then evaluated the sequential effects of using both hands to practice, but evaluated the performance of both the dominant and non-dominant hand (Stöckel & Weigelt & Krug, 2011). They found similar result, with the nd/d group showing greatest improvement with both hands, and the second ranked was a group that switched back and forth between the dominant and non-dominant hand while practicing.

  In terms of brain activity, functional studies (Halsband & Lange, 2006) show that the spatial region of the right hemisphere is used in early skill acquisition, while the left brain motor associated areas engage later, as the skill is refined and practiced. The sequential effect on practice was also examined, with those participants who practiced with their right hand then their left (d/nd), showing activity linked to mirroring activities, while those that practiced left to right (nd/d), demonstrated the transfer of spatial information.

  This fits with the results of an experiment where participants were tasked with two activities, one requiring accuracy, and one requiring strength (Stöckel & Weigelt, 2012). In both cases, the groups were trained either d/nd, nd/d, d/d, or nd/nd. In the accuracy test, the nd/d group scored best, as spatial reasoning was the critical learning. In the strength test however, the d/nd came out on top. This could be attributed to the natural tendency for greater strength in the dominant hand.

  Conclusion:

  All of the participants were right-handed. So, these studies indicate that it may be advantageous for right-handed individuals to begin all motor skill learning with the left hand, for the gain in spatial awareness, before shifting to the right hand for refinement of the motor skill and completion of the task (nd/d). It also suggests that left-handed individuals make acquire skills faster, but could be out paced by their right-handed peers over the long run, as the brain activity shifts from the right to left hemisphere. Further extrapolation- left-handed learners should begin with their left hand, move to their right hand to help refine the motor skill, then back to their left/dominant hand for completion (d/nd/d).

  Going forward, I will test these theories in the shop. Armed with a better understanding of how the brain works, my goal will be to further incorporate this strategy into my delivery, and identify the point at which point students should migrate to their other hand.

  Try it out. Let me know what you think.

  …

  Brookfield, S.D. (1991). Using critical incidents to explore learners’ assumptions. In J. Mezirow and Associates. Fostering critical reflections in adulthood, 177-193. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  Senff, O., & Weigelt, M. (2011). Sequential effects after practice with the dominant and non-dominant hand on the acquisition of a sliding task in schoolchildren. Laterality, 16(2), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500903549414

  Stöckel, T., Weigelt, M., & Krug, J. (2011). Acquisition of a complex basketball-dribbling task in school children as a function of bilateral practice order. Research quarterly for exercise and sport, 82(2), 188–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2011.10599746

  Halsband, U., & Lange, R. K. (2006). Motor learning in man: a review of functional and clinical studies. Journal of physiology, Paris, 99(4-6), 414–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphysparis.2006.03.007

  Stöckel, T., & Weigelt, M. (2012). Brain lateralisation and motor learning: selective effects of dominant and non-dominant hand practice on the early acquisition of throwing skills. Laterality, 17(1), 18–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/1357650X.2010.524222

• The increasing value of Productive Labour

  26/07/2025

  Click to access 2023-census-Report-EN-2.pdf

  The autobody industry is looking at a potential, and serious shortage of techs, painters, glass installers, and estimators. Over 30% of all the back-of-house staff are over the age of 55. Productive Labour is about to become a valuable commodity. This good for those already in the field, a boon for those looking for a strong career, but an unsettling prospect for shop owners.

  The last big shift in society was the industrial revolution. We are now experiencing the knowledge revolution. The internet, Ai, and an ever evolving world means it’s not the shear numbers of staff, but what they know. The smart employers are already investing training, and promoting employment as as stepping-stone, not an end point.

  Those physically working in the shops should be smiling. There are good times ahead. Those running the shops, they will have to embrace a culture of encouraged learning, or sulk alone.

• Hello,

  19/07/2025

  I created this site as a forum for autobody technicians to share ideas, and provide insight and support for one another.

  My trade experience includes restoration, flat-rate collision, and fleet maintenance. I’ve worked on everything from vintage bikes to off-road equipment, and count myself fortunate for those opportunities. I like to think that I am where I am today, because great men lifted me to their shoulders, and taught me everything they knew. I now continue that tradition by helping those around, and the next generation.

  I’m passionate about automotive design, and continue to explore emerging repair processes, practices, and materials.

  Reach out and ask questions. I believe the more people we work with, the better we get. It’s a dynamic industry, and we’re constantly seeing new approaches and innovations. Let’s share them.

  Drive safe.

  Marcus

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