Interactions between teaching assistants and students boost engagement in physics labs

Through in-class observations of teaching assistants (TAs) and students in the lab sections of a large introductory physics course, we study which TA behaviors can be used to predict student engagement and, in turn, how this engagement relates to learning. For the TAs, we record data to determine how they adhere to and deliver the lesson plan and how they interact with students during the lab. For the students, we use observations to record the level of student engagement and pretests and post-tests of lab skills to measure learning. We find that the frequency of TA–student interactions, especially those initiated by the TAs, is a positive and significant predictor of student engagement. Interestingly, the length of interactions is not significantly correlated with student engagement. In addition, we find that student engagement was a better predictor of post-test performance than pretest scores. These results shed light on the manner in which students learn how to conduct inquiry and suggest that, by proactively engaging students, TAs may have a positive effect on student engagement, and therefore learning, in the lab.

Figure 1

A simplified model of the TA–student relationship. Each bubble is hypothesized to influence the bubbles immediately next to it. In this paper, we evaluate the correlational links between “TA teaching style and behaviors” and “student engagement” and between student engagement and “student learning.” The results are summarized in Fig. 3.

Figure 2

Fractional student engagement versus number of TA–student interactions per minute during the student working period in the lab. The frequency of interactions is positively correlated with engagement: $r(14)=0.52$.

Figure 3

The main results of our study. We found significant positive correlations (denoted by a solid line) between (i) the frequency of TA–student interactions (a product of TA teaching style and behaviors) and student engagement [$r(14)=0.52$], (ii) student engagement and student learning [partial $r(13)=0.56$, controlling for pretest]. The correlation between the frequency of TA–student interactions and engagement is explained solely by TA-initiated interactions, implying that it is the TAs that are driving student engagement (indicated by a unidirectional arrow).

Figure 4

Page 1 of the TA version of the lab worksheet.

Figure 5

Page 2 of the TA version of the lab worksheet.

Figure 6

Page 3 of the TA version of the lab worksheet.

Figure 7

The TA observation form. To complete the form, the observer shades in the areas of the timeline corresponding to the TA’s actions during the lab, giving a record of the TA’s behaviors during the lab.

Figure 8

The on-off task form. The form is a spatial map of the lab on which the observer records student engagement. Each form allows three snapshots of engagement to be recorded.