Students’ Situational Engagement in a Primary School Science Project

Overview

This study investigates situational engagement—the momentary experiential states of learners during instructional activities—among fourth-grade students participating in a robotics and coding project-based learning module. The research treats engagement not as a uniform construct but as a dynamic phenomenon that varies across instructional phases and student populations. Four instructional phases were examined: skill building, ideation, skill implementation, and co-reflection. The investigation employed latent profile analysis to identify heterogeneous engagement patterns within the student cohort, yielding four distinct engagement profiles characterized by differential patterns of perceived skill, interest, and challenge.

Methods and approach

The study utilized an Experience Sampling Method within a repeated-measures design involving 143 fourth-grade students. Data collection occurred at 12 measurement points distributed across the robotics and coding project-based learning module. At each measurement point, students self-reported perceived skill levels, interest, and challenge. Latent Profile Analysis was conducted to identify subgroups of students exhibiting distinct engagement patterns. Engagement quality was operationalized through the Optimal Learning Moment rate, defined as instances where challenge and skill were optimally aligned according to flow theory principles.

Results

Latent Profile Analysis identified four engagement profiles: engaged, underchallenged, moderately engaged, and disengaged. The sample demonstrated consistently high levels of situational engagement overall, though with substantial within-class heterogeneity. Engagement peaked during skill-building activities, with an Optimal Learning Moment rate of 26%. The ideation phase produced the lowest Optimal Learning Moment rate at 20% and coincided with the highest perceived challenge levels. Notable variations in challenge and interest experiences emerged across the four instructional phases, indicating that phase type substantially influences momentary engagement states.

Implications

The findings underscore the importance of differentiating instructional design across project phases to maintain situational engagement. Structured skill-building activities yielded higher engagement and flow experiences compared to unstructured ideation phases, suggesting that purely open-ended problem-solving without sufficient scaffolding may exceed student capability perceptions. Educators implementing project-based learning in mathematics and science contexts should consider strategic sequencing and support structures during ideation and less structured phases to sustain engagement across diverse learner profiles. The identification of four distinct engagement profiles indicates that single-level interventions may not address heterogeneous engagement needs within typical classrooms.