Exploring the Relationship Between Teacher Engagement and Student Engagement in an English as a Foreign Language Context

Engagement in second language acquisition is a developing field of research in Applied Linguistics that has gained popularity recently (e.g., Hiver et al. 2020; Mercer and Dörnyei 2020). However, the available research largely focuses on student engagement rather than teacher engagement. While working as an English as a foreign language teacher, I observed that some teachers appeared fully engaged with their work. In contrast, some teachers appeared to show minimal engagement. However higher levels of engagement did not always appear to correlate with more effective teaching. In my PhD project, I intend to explore how teacher engagement (or lack thereof) can impact student engagement within the classroom.

Student engagement literature has suggested that language learners engage with various domains. For example, Dörnyei (2019) suggests that language learners engage with the school context, syllabus and teaching materials, peers, and their teacher. Teachers engage with all these domains, and also engage with other areas, such as colleagues (Cowie 2011). Nevertheless, there is no empirically tested model of teacher engagement that considers the multi-faceted nature of the job and how this links to effective teaching in the classroom. My PhD will aim to address this gap in research and expand upon our understanding of what teachers engage with and how it links to effective teaching.

Teacher engagement can be linked to student engagement. Adopting the perspective that motivation is the fuel for engagement (Dörnyei and Ushioda 2021) highlights the potential for a bi-directional relationship between teacher and student engagement, as available research shows there is a relationship between teacher and student motivation (e.g., Pinner 2016, Roorda et al. 2011, Sampson 2016). However, there has been limited research looking at teacher and student engagement together. Once the concept of teacher engagement has been expanded upon, my PhD project will then explore these links between teacher and student engagement.
Utilising data collection methods sensitive to the features of engagement is of paramount importance in my research. Engagement is dynamic, malleable, context-dependent, and situated (Hiver et al. 2021). Observational data that captures the dynamic nature of engagement and aids in establishing links between teacher and student engagement will be used. In addition, the project will use a longitudinal design to allow for the trajectory of engagement to be tracked and help map 'critical moments' of engagement.

The research objectives for my PhD project are:

RO1: To conceptualise teacher engagement and its relationship to effective language teaching.
RO2: To explore the link between language teacher and student engagement.

The results of my research project will expand on the theoretical understanding of teacher engagement, and the link between teacher and student engagement using research methods not previously adopted in engagement research. The findings have the potential to act as the basis for continuing professional development for teacher trainers and teachers to help them understand and address levels of engagement in both teachers and students.