Hello,
Engagement is a topic I think about constantly. Each week, as I write my blog posts, if there is something related to engagement in the post I’m writing, I will revisit those I wrote around the release of Engagement is Not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal) as a reference. These earlier posts explored different facets of engagement in detail:
January 6, 2021: Can I Have a Word With You - Explains the use of the term engagement without a common understanding or agreement on what engagement means.
January 13, 2021: This is NOT Engagement - Defines the 4 levels of engagement and dives into non-compliance.
January 20, 2021: This Porridge is Just Right - Before figuring out if the student has enough extrinsic motivation to do the task OR enough of a relationship with the person assigning the task OR even wondering if the student wants to do the task, the question that first must be asked is, “Is the person being non-compliant because the task is too easy or too hard?”
February 2, 2021: Only If I Have To - This post explores the true lack of engagement felt when a task is done only at the level of compliance.
February 10, 2021: Very Interesting! - When someone is at the interested level of engagement, they like the task they’re doing, but they need extrinsic motivation to do the task.
February 17, 2021: Three Little Words - Choice and voice are the gateway to engagement and this post explains the difference between these.
March 3, 2021: We Made It - Absorption is the highest level of engagement, but that doesn’t mean everyone who is absorbed is in a healthy place. This post notes what healthy and unhealthy absorption looks like.
March 10, 2021: Authentic Engagement - This is the final post in the series and spotlights the differences between those who are interested and those who are absorbed.
While these posts offered insights into specific levels of engagement, I realized recently that I never explicitly shared the foundational concept behind them all: The Engagement Framework. This framework has shaped everything I think, say, and write about engagement, and it’s long overdue.
Why Engagement is Often Misunderstood
In Engagement is Not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal), I explored a phenomenon familiar to many educators: two people can observe the same lesson and walk away with completely different conclusions about student engagement. One might declare, “Those students were so engaged,” while the other says, “I didn’t see any engagement at all.”
This disconnect stems from a lack of shared understanding. Without a clear definition, people use the term engagement to mean vastly different things, making meaningful conversations and actions related to engagement challenging.
So, what is engagement? Defining it is more complex than it seems because engagement exists on a continuum.
Introducing The Engagement Continuum
The Engagement Continuum outlines four distinct levels of engagement, ranging from active resistance to deep immersion:
Non-Compliant: Actively or passively refusing to do what was expected; insubordinate.
Compliant: Doing the minimum of what was expected but only because there is a consequence (positive or negative) if it wasn’t completed.
Interested: Going beyond the minimum expectations because the task is stimulating and has momentary value. Generally speaking, the task is enjoyable but not something that would be done unless it was required and there was a positive or negative consequence doing it.
Absorbed: Getting so involved in a challenging task that the
Movement along this continuum reflects changes in engagement levels. As individuals become more engaged, they progress to the right. Conversely, when engagement wanes, they shift to the left. However, it’s critical to note that true engagement begins only at the Interested level. Both non-compliance and compliance fall under the category of disengagement.
Expanding the Framework: The Engagement Matrix
While The Engagement Continuum captures the progression of engagement, it doesn’t fully explain why someone moves along it or how to help someone move from one level to another. This realization led me to develop The Engagement Matrix, which adds depth by introducing two key variables:
Relationship to the Task: Low (left) to high (right).
Relationship with External Factors (e.g., the person assigning the task or associated consequences): Low (bottom) to high (top).
Put differently, the task is WHAT is being done, the external factors are WHY it’s being done, and the resulting level of engagement reflects HOW it feels while performing the task.
By combining these variables, The Engagement Matrix offers a nuanced view of engagement.
Together, The Engagement Continuum and The Engagement Matrix form The Engagement Framework. The continuum highlights the linear progression of engagement, while the matrix reveals the interplay of relationships and motivations driving those shifts.
Engagement and Motivation: More Than Fun
At this point, you might wonder, Is engagement just about making tasks enjoyable? The answer is no. Engagement is not synonymous with fun. In fact, the highest level of engagement—absorption—often involves tackling challenging, effort-intensive tasks.
What distinguishes these tasks is the reward they offer. When we are deeply engaged, the challenge itself becomes the reward. We’d much rather wrestle with a rewarding challenge than coast through a dull, easy task.
This distinction also underscores the roles of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Some individuals are motivated by relationships, others by rewards, and still others by avoiding punitive consequences. The source of motivation determines where they fall on The Engagement Continuum:
Non-Compliance=No task enjoyment + low connection to external motivators
Compliance=No task enjoyment + high connection to external motivators
Interest=Task enjoyment + high connection to external motivators
Absorption=Task enjoyment + low connection to external motivators
A Clearer Path to Engagement
Engagement isn’t about making things easy or fun—it’s about creating conditions where people find value in the effort they invest. The Engagement Framework offers a practical way to understand and nurture this process, blending the progression of engagement with the variables that influence it.
For educators and leaders, this framework provides a roadmap for fostering authentic engagement. By thoughtfully leveraging relationships, rewards, and challenges, we can help individuals move beyond mere compliance toward interest and even absorption.
Engagement, in its truest form, isn’t about what we’re doing—it’s about why we’re doing it and how we feel about it. When we understand and apply this, we move closer to creating environments where everyone—students, employees, or ourselves—can thrive.
~Heather
P.S. In a post for another day, I’ll dive deeper into a realization I had last year: every book my son was assigned in his AP Literature course was written by dead, white men. Don’t get me wrong—I have nothing against dead, white men (all of my male ancestors fall into this category). But I believe there’s a wealth of powerful, thought-provoking literature from living authors of diverse backgrounds, genders, and perspectives that deserves attention.
When I brought this up with my son, Nolan, he asked me for book recommendations. One of the first titles I suggested was There There by indigenous author—and my "Catch of the Week"—Tommy Orange, which I’d read a couple of years earlier. When Nolan picked up a copy we both read it (him for the first time, and me for the second). Reading and discussing a book with my child is one of my greatest experiences as a parent!
We didn’t know when we started reading There There that Tommy Orange was scheduled to speak in Buffalo this November. I’m thrilled to share that Nolan and I attended his talk together and bought his second book Wandering Stars to read together too. Hearing an author discuss their craft, inspirations, and creative process was a memorable experience for both of us.
This is just one example of why it’s so important to read beyond the traditional, codified canon of literature dominated by dead, white men. Stories written by living, diverse voices can offer fresh perspectives, challenge our assumptions, and deepen our understanding of the world—and each other.
P.P.S. Please remember to...
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