The Vicious Cycle of Disengagement
- Wendy
- Jan 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 10
When students are engaged in the learning process, they are more likely to pay attention, focus, and think critically. Disengaged students are more likely to exhibit opposite behaviors. They can get caught in a vicious cycle of disengagement; one behavior reflecting withdrawal feeds directly into another, as shown in the "Cycle of Disengagement" below.
Students can begin anywhere in the cycle, but let’s illustrate it starting at Missed Connections. Students do not make a connection between real life and what is being taught or between content areas on the same topic; either these connections are not made explicitly for them, they were not led to discover these connections, or they did not make the connections independently. Regardless, this causes them to not see the usefulness or value in what is being taught; thus, they are not interested. These feelings are then reflected in their body language. They slouch, put their head in hands, stare off into space, perhaps engage in off task behaviors. The result is correction and consequences from the teacher. Ultimately, other students could treat them differently as well because now they’ve formed a perception of him. Unavoidably, these things lead to less learning and growth in addition to lower performance and grades. Because these students are now upset or irritated by the various consequences, they are less likely to have the motivation to see connections, realize value, and show interest. It’s a vicious cycle.
Students could enter the cycle at any time. The previous example outlined students entering at the missed connections circle, but the cycle can start anywhere. Perhaps a student has no interest in a topic, facilitating no value and poor body language. Maybe a student has poor body language one day, due to any number of personal reasons, and that causes consequences or lack of interest. There is an interconnectedness here that bounces around the cycle haphazardly. There is no definite start or end point, and there is no specific order of events. What we know is that one characteristic or behavior contributes to another.
There are indicators for teachers and administrators to use when evaluating engagement in the classroom, many more than just student achievement. "12 Red Flags for Disengaged Students" is a graphic that summarizes ways to realize that students are mentally withdrawing.
Identifying that disengagement is an obstacle being faced is the first and most important step. Next, nurturing increased engagement in all students requires explicit planning and accountability. So, stay tuned for my next post that includes: 12 Things to Do to Engage Students.
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