Virtual Destinations and Student Learning in Middle School: A Cas ...

The essence of student engagement for the teachers in this study was active learning, as well as student choice and independence.

Becker (2000a) notes that a student’s attention and engagement are critical variables in determining if positive outcomes are attained. He states that students are more “on-task” and express more positive feelings when using computers, and therefore are more “engaged.” Lepper (1985) examined the theoretical literature on intrinsic motivation and suggested that students are motivated to seek solutions to problems if computer activities provide intellectual challenge, stimulate curiosity, and give a sense of independent control and mastery. These factors influence the impact of learning in the classroom. Newman (1986) describes engagement in an intriguing way:

Some studies report that students are more engaged while working with computers. The following section will discuss how computer technology usage in the classroom may effect student engagement.

Computer Technology and Learning Engagement

According to Wasserstein (1995), engagement in learning takes place when educators equip students with the tools to become self-motivated. This self-motivation comes from a desire to understand things of interest or from the enjoyment of learning to achieve personal goals (Bowen, 2003). Computer technology is one resource that can affect the engagement of students and their achievement, but the research on how this technology affects achievement and engagement is inconsistent (Hede, 2002). Further, Hede states that this is because of the many contingent factors that have been shown to moderate multimedia effects.