The Learning Bar

Student Engagement

The outcomes are concerned primarily with students' self esteem or confidence, and their engagement in schooling. Our surveys focus on three domains: student engagement, student wellness and school/classroom climate.

Researchers use the term "engagement" as a global measure to refer to the extent to which students identify with and value schooling outcomes, and participate in academic and non-academic activities. While self esteem and engagement are related to academic achievement, Tell Them From Me considers them to be important outcomes in their own right. They embody a disposition towards learning, working with others, and functioning in a social institution (Willms, 2003). Self esteem and engagement may in fact be more important than academic achievement in the long run in determining people's economic success and their health and well-being. Moreover, these outcomes can be affected by parents and teachers, and shaped by school policy and practice.

The Tell Them From Me Student Survey measures student engagement based on five main indicators: sense of belonging at school, participation in school clubs and sports, educational aspirations, school attendance, and valuing school outcomes. In addition, TTFM tracks the amount of time students devote to homework, leisure reading, television, interactive communication and technology (e.g., computers, video games), part-time work and volunteering.

• Sense of Belonging at School pertains to students' "attachment to school, which has to do with feelings of being accepted and valued by their peers, and by others at their school" (Willms, 2003). It is a key element of the "student engagement" domain. Research based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that about one-fifth to one-quarter of students in North America lacked a strong sense of belonging at school. Feelings of being detached or disaffected from school were apparent even among students with strong academic performance. Students with a poor sense of belonging at school are less likely to value schooling outcomes, and in the longer term less likely to undertake further education. The Tell Them From Me scale for sense of belonging includes six questions. Students are asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with statements such as: "At school I feel accepted for who I am" or "I get along well with others at school."


• Participation in School Clubs and Sports is an important element of school life for many students. Tell Them From Me asks students two questions concerning their regular involvement in this way.


• Students' long-term aspirations and expectations are shaped by their perceptions of their ability, their experiences at home and at school, and the opportunities presented to them. School-based research on aspirations and expectations has emphasized differences among youth in the resources available to them, and the structural features of the schooling system that allocates rewards according to social class and ethnicity. Tell Them From Me asks students about whether they expect to complete secondary school and whether they plan to pursue some form of post-secondary education.


• School and Class Attendance is an important indicator of student engagement. Although most schools track school and class attendance, the approach varies somewhat across schools and the data cannot be easily incorporated into a composite measure. Tell Them From Me assesses attendance with regard to whether students miss school without permission, skip classes, or arrive late for school or classes. The format is similar to questions used by Willms (2003) in an international study of engagement, and therefore results can be compared to national and international norms. Results for this measure can be viewed by question.


• The Value Placed on Schooling Outcomes is another key component of student engagement. Many students believe that education will benefit them personally and economically, while others feel that academic success will have a strong bearing on their future. Tell Them From Me asks students to indicate their agreement with statements like: "I am learning the skills I will need for success later in life" and "The mathematics I am learning will be very useful in the future."

Student Wellness

The emotional, social, spiritual and physical health of children and youth is closely tied to their engagement in school life and their learning outcomes. Tell Them From Me includes six indicators of student health and wellness.

• Self Esteem refers to how much a person likes and accepts herself or himself. In many respects, it is a measure of self-respect. Researchers have studied self-esteem and its relationship with schooling outcomes for several decades. The findings have consistently shown that youth with higher levels of self-esteem tend to have greater academic success, better mental health, and a stronger ability to cope with negative life events. Self-esteem is also related to students' persistence and motivation in academic tasks. Tell Them From Me measures self-esteem with seven questions, based on the widely used scale developed by Herbert Marsh. For example, students are asked to assess themselves in such areas as: "When I do something, I do it well" and "Overall, I have a lot to be proud of."


• Time Spent on Physical Activity is measured in hours per day. Recent research has shown that the prevalence of child and adolescent obesity in Canada has increased markedly over the past two decades (Willms, Tremblay, & Katzmarzyk, 2003), and to some extent the change is associated with physical inactivity (Tremblay & Willms, 2003). Our measure asks students how much time they spend on weekdays doing a physical activity that increased their heart rate or made them out of breath some of the time (e.g., running, fast walking, biking, swimming, dancing, rollerblading, or playing a sport like hockey, soccer, or basketball).


• Student Bullying refers to situations when a person tries to hurt another person, and does it more than once. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social, and can also take place over the Internet with emails or text messages. Sometimes a group of students will bully others. In Tell Them From Me students are provided with a definition of bullying and then asked about the frequency with which they are bullied in any of the above four ways. The results for this measure can also be viewed by type of bullying experienced.


• Depression is a mental state characterized by feelings of sadness, discouragement and inadequacy that persist for long periods, from two or three weeks to several years. Many adolescents suffer from depression to the extent that it affects their ability to concentrate, their appetite, and their sleeping patterns. Typically these youth are unable to experience joy and happiness in activities at school or at home. In Tell Them From Me, students respond to six questions that are indications of depression, such as "A lot of things seem to bother me" and "Other students seem to have more fun than me." An eighth statement, "I have trouble falling asleep at night", pertains to both depression and anxiety.


• Anxiety involves feelings of fear, intense anxiety, and worry about particular events or social situations. Children and adolescents who experience anxiety can exhibit a range of physical symptoms including dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, a dry mouth, sweating or feelings of panic. For youth who have an anxiety disorder, these feelings are chronic and can become worse if there is no intervention. Students are asked in Tell Them From Me to respond to seven statements that are indicators of anxiety; for example: "I am concerned about what other students think about me" and "I worry more than most kids." The statement, "I have trouble falling asleep at night", is also included in the anxiety scale.


• Smoking is a regular habit among about 18% of Canadian youth, with 11% smoking occasionally and 7% smoking regularly. The prevalence of teen smoking varies among provinces, from 13% in British Columbia to 24% in Quebec. The prevalence in Atlantic Canada is about 2 percent above the Canadian average (Health Canada, 2004). The reports show the percentage of students who smoke occasionally, but not every day, or who are regular smokers.

School/Classroom Climate

The rate at which students learn new a new set of skills depends on several factors: students' aptitude for learning skills at a particular level of difficulty, their motivation and perseverance, the level and quality of instruction, the amount of instructional time devoted to learning the new skills, and the quality of instructional resources. These factors interact with each other; if any one of them is deficient, the rate of learning is slower. The Tell Them From Me student questionnaire assesses five indicators of the learning climate of the school and classroom associated with student learning. Together they provide a composite measure of the learning climate in the school. The five indicators, which are described below, have been based on over twenty years of research on school and classroom effectiveness.

• Effective Learning Time measures three important aspects of classroom teaching: the extent to which important concepts are taught and understood, the efficiency with which class time is used, and the degree to which course objectives are aligned with homework assignments and evaluation procedures. For example, students are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with these statements about their school: "Important concepts and ideas are taught well", "Scheduled class time is used efficiently", and "Assignments help me understand the concepts taught in class."


• The Disciplinary Climate of the Classroom refers to the extent to which pupils internalize the norms and values of the classroom, and conform to them. The disciplinary climate of the classroom is not simply about students complying to rules and regulations; rather, it is concerned with whether there is a clear set of rules that are understood by students, and whether teachers maintain high expectations that these rules are followed. Learning time is also an element of this indicator, as students have less opportunity to learn in classes that are noisy or constantly being interrupted by a few disruptive students. Some example statements are: "Teachers expect students to pay attention", "The rules for classroom behaviour are clear", and "It is usually easy to concentrate in class."


• Expectations for Academic Success refers to the extent to which school staff value academic achievement and hold high expectations for all students. The term "academic press" has often been used for this indicator. Schools with high academic press place a strong emphasis on academic skills. Teachers and the principal project the belief that all students can succeed, and they encourage students to set high norms for their academic success. The Tell Them From Me indicator of this factor includes, for example, "In our school: ...Teachers expect all students to do their best work", "Teachers expect homework to be done on time", and "Students must work hard to succeed."


• Teacher-Student Relations assesses students' perceptions about how they are treated by their teachers, whether they feel supported by them. Youth tend to have better schooling outcomes when adults are responsive to their needs and encourage independence with a democratic approach. This indicator is measured with six questions. For example, students are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with statements such as: "Teachers take account of students' needs, abilities, and interests", and "Teachers show an interest in every student's learning."


• Student Advocacy is based on the premise that every child needs an advocate, someone to turn to for advice and someone who consistently provides encouragement. It could be someone at home, but it may also be someone at school or in the community. For example, Tell Them From Me asks students "How often does someone in your family, school, or community do each of the following:... "Take an interest in one of my school projects", "Ask me about problems I might have at school."

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