Understanding the school environments that engage and motivate young adolescents

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20259251

This study used a phenomenological study design to better understand the influence of school environments and structures upon student engagement. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and researcher memos, and analyzed using the methods established by the design model of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The study focused understanding teacher perceptions and understandings of student engagement and the practices and structures that engender it. Participants included eight members of a middle school faculty from a small, urban, independent school located on the Upper West Side of New York City. This study used stage-environment fit and positive youth development to help answer the following question: How do middle level teachers in a small, urban, independent school understand the role of the environment in fostering student engagement and motivation? Secondary questions focused specifically on the way these participants defined and understood student engagement and strategies and structures that foster student engagement.