The Relationship between Learner-centered Instruction and Student Engagement

Abstract

Educational reform in the United States since the 1980s has evolved over the years to develop learner-centered instruction. Research indicated learner-centered instruction has a positive effect on student learning outcomes, such as student engagement, student motivation, and academic performance. However, the evidence is relatively limited in the Chinese higher education context. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between learner-centered instruction and student engagement in Chinese higher education. The researchers collected data of perceived level of learner-centered instruction (i. e., cognitive and metacognitive, motivational, and social domain) and student engagement (i. e., behavioral, emotional, and cognitive domain) from 201 full-time undergraduate students (male=65, female=136) from Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU). The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between learner-centered instruction and student engagement, r = .798, for example, results indicated the positive relationship between the cognitive and metacognitive domain and behavioral engagement (r = .632), and the social domain and emotional engagement (r = .661). The current study provides extra evidence contributing to the application of learner-centered instruction in Chinese higher education.