The Student Gallup Poll is a survey taken every year that reaches hundreds of thousands of students. It was developed in 2009, and since then, almost 4 million students in grades five through 12 have responded to the survey, answering questions about their experiences in school. The fall 2015 Student Gallup Poll alone reached over 900,000 students in 3,300 schools nationwide. This expansive survey is used as a means of showing educators how students in general feel about school so that they might create programs and adopt or improve teaching strategies to help students better meet the four criteria by which the survey measures student success: engagement, hope, entrepreneurial aspiration, and career and finance literacy. These four criteria are then broken down by the questions students are asked in the survey.
The first two criteria, engagement and hope, are related in that the two factors interact to determine what a student’s experience in school might be like. Overall, it appears that students who are engaged and hopeful while in school can be compared to those who are the opposite – disengaged and discouraged. Students who are engaged and hopeful appear to be more likely to pursue a college education, miss school less frequently, and not only earn better grades but also feel that they are successful in school in general than students who are disengaged and discouraged.
It might seem obvious that students who feel that their education is serving them well and who might enjoy being in school would be more successful, but what does it take to be an engaged and hopeful student? Is it really as difficult as it seems to be a student who meets the criteria that say “you’ll be successful?”
The first two criteria, engagement and hope, are related in that the two factors interact to determine what a student’s experience in school might be like. Overall, it appears that students who are engaged and hopeful while in school can be compared to those who are the opposite – disengaged and discouraged. Students who are engaged and hopeful appear to be more likely to pursue a college education, miss school less frequently, and not only earn better grades but also feel that they are successful in school in general than students who are disengaged and discouraged.
It might seem obvious that students who feel that their education is serving them well and who might enjoy being in school would be more successful, but what does it take to be an engaged and hopeful student? Is it really as difficult as it seems to be a student who meets the criteria that say “you’ll be successful?”
In the Gallup Poll, students were asked nine questions to determine their level of engagement, and it defined engagement as students’ “involvement in and enthusiasm for school.” The questions are listed below with the percentage of students in grades 5 through 12 who responded that they strongly agree with each of the nine statements about their engagement in school.
Overall, 50 percent of students surveyed were classified as engaged, 29 percent not engaged, and 21 percent actively disengaged based on the answers received for the 9 questions regarding engagement. Although the survey is geared toward helping educators understand how they can better serve students, it can be a helpful tool for students themselves to look at and perhaps understand why they’re struggling to remain engaged in their learning. If you look at the 9 criteria of engagement and think “nope,” in response to most of them, you’re not alone – not even close. Based on the survey data, the students who strongly agree with the statements are not the majority, and 50 percent of students aren’t considered “engaged” for one reason or another.
If you look at this list, what sticks out to you? What do you find yourself disagreeing with? If you look at a list item like “I have at least one teacher who makes me excited about the future” and feel like that’s not true for you, try to do something about it. Find a teacher who you like to talk to, and start talking about the future. Start asking questions, start getting engaged for yourself – you don’t have to wait around for your teachers to make you feel engaged. The same goes for the other items on the list. I used to think that if a teacher didn’t teach me anything new or interesting, that day of school was pretty much a waste. But if you don’t feel like you’re being challenged or you’re learning anything interesting, challenge your teachers. Make things interesting. Ask questions about things that intrigue you or things that confuse you, and you just might find that school can be as interesting as you make it.
The same goes for the “hope” category on the survey. In this section, students answered 7 questions to determine whether they were “hopeful,” which the survey defines as “the ideas and energy students have for the future.” The results here are broken down into three groups. Forty-eight percent are hopeful, or students who are “more engaged with school, positive about the future, goal-oriented and can overcome obstacles, enabling them to navigate a pathway to achieve their goals. They possess the requisite energy to achieve their dreams,” according to the survey. Thirty-four percent are stuck, or students who “may lack ideas and have difficulty making progress toward their goals,” and 18 percent are discouraged, or “have difficulty identifying goals for the future and lack the motivation, energy or resources needed to achieve their goals.” Looking at these descriptions, how would you categorize yourself? Are you hopeful for your future? Are you discouraged? Are you sort of “stuck” somewhere in the middle?
The seven questions asked of students along with the percent who strongly agree with each statement are listed below.
If you look at this list, what sticks out to you? What do you find yourself disagreeing with? If you look at a list item like “I have at least one teacher who makes me excited about the future” and feel like that’s not true for you, try to do something about it. Find a teacher who you like to talk to, and start talking about the future. Start asking questions, start getting engaged for yourself – you don’t have to wait around for your teachers to make you feel engaged. The same goes for the other items on the list. I used to think that if a teacher didn’t teach me anything new or interesting, that day of school was pretty much a waste. But if you don’t feel like you’re being challenged or you’re learning anything interesting, challenge your teachers. Make things interesting. Ask questions about things that intrigue you or things that confuse you, and you just might find that school can be as interesting as you make it.
The same goes for the “hope” category on the survey. In this section, students answered 7 questions to determine whether they were “hopeful,” which the survey defines as “the ideas and energy students have for the future.” The results here are broken down into three groups. Forty-eight percent are hopeful, or students who are “more engaged with school, positive about the future, goal-oriented and can overcome obstacles, enabling them to navigate a pathway to achieve their goals. They possess the requisite energy to achieve their dreams,” according to the survey. Thirty-four percent are stuck, or students who “may lack ideas and have difficulty making progress toward their goals,” and 18 percent are discouraged, or “have difficulty identifying goals for the future and lack the motivation, energy or resources needed to achieve their goals.” Looking at these descriptions, how would you categorize yourself? Are you hopeful for your future? Are you discouraged? Are you sort of “stuck” somewhere in the middle?
The seven questions asked of students along with the percent who strongly agree with each statement are listed below.
The statement that sticks out to me is “I have a mentor who encourages my development.” This has the lowest percentage of students who strongly agree, when to me, it’s probably the most important question on this list. Only 33 percent of students, on average, feel that they have a mentor who encourages them, but it seems to me that if the number of students who did have a mentor were to increase, the other percentages within the “hope” category would increase as well. Setting goals, believing in your future, believing you’ll have a great job one day, and even knowing you’ll graduate are really tough concepts to tackle independently. It’s difficult to do or believe any of these things without feeling that you have reason to – without having someone who supports you telling you “you’re right; you can do it.” Not everyone has this luxury – some have to find the courage and motivation on their own. But if you’re someone who has access to supportive teachers, use that support. They are there not just to teach you but to prepare you and launch you into your future.
Your teachers can have a huge impact on your learning experience throughout your entire school career. In college, I’ve seen that having relationships with my professors is not only beneficial, it might as well be required. Constant communication and support have gotten me to where I am today whether it be with my high school teachers or my college professors. Although many of the teachers with whom I’ve built these relationships have sought me out and taken an interest in my education, I have still made an effort to reach out to teachers who I know will be helpful to me and have strived to maintain relationships with teachers who I might not have in class anymore but still want to remain close to. Often times, it is the job of teachers to check that their students are engaged and hopeful for their futures, succeeding as much as possible.
This survey is targeted toward teachers so that they can adjust their teaching methods to better help students get the most out of their education. But, ultimately, there is little that teachers can do if their students are not actively trying to be engaged or trying to find hope. If you want to be a student who is engaged and hopeful, who feels successful and gets good grades and is driven to pursue a future that will mean something to you, then get engaged. Do your part – take stock of your own educational needs, and start adjusting. Start demanding the education you want and building the relationships you need to further your own future rather than waiting for your teachers to make school everything you want it to be. Because once you leave school, no one is going to be adjusting to meet your needs – it will be up to you to go after what you want on your own. It just might be easier if you set yourself up for success in advance.
-Hope Swedeen
Are you happy with your grades and level of success in school? How could you become more engaged in and hopeful about your education?
Your teachers can have a huge impact on your learning experience throughout your entire school career. In college, I’ve seen that having relationships with my professors is not only beneficial, it might as well be required. Constant communication and support have gotten me to where I am today whether it be with my high school teachers or my college professors. Although many of the teachers with whom I’ve built these relationships have sought me out and taken an interest in my education, I have still made an effort to reach out to teachers who I know will be helpful to me and have strived to maintain relationships with teachers who I might not have in class anymore but still want to remain close to. Often times, it is the job of teachers to check that their students are engaged and hopeful for their futures, succeeding as much as possible.
This survey is targeted toward teachers so that they can adjust their teaching methods to better help students get the most out of their education. But, ultimately, there is little that teachers can do if their students are not actively trying to be engaged or trying to find hope. If you want to be a student who is engaged and hopeful, who feels successful and gets good grades and is driven to pursue a future that will mean something to you, then get engaged. Do your part – take stock of your own educational needs, and start adjusting. Start demanding the education you want and building the relationships you need to further your own future rather than waiting for your teachers to make school everything you want it to be. Because once you leave school, no one is going to be adjusting to meet your needs – it will be up to you to go after what you want on your own. It just might be easier if you set yourself up for success in advance.
-Hope Swedeen
Are you happy with your grades and level of success in school? How could you become more engaged in and hopeful about your education?
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