Objective: The increasing reliance of Iran's educational system on technology-based approaches, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly impacted students' learning processes and academic engagement. Although the seven-stage learning cycle (7E) is recognized as an effective model, its impact within online learning environments on the multidimensional construct of academic engagement among elementary students remains underexplored.
Method: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest control group design. The study was conducted during the 2023-2024 academic year in Arak, Iran. Using convenience sampling, 40 sixth-grade students were selected and randomly assigned to experimental (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. Academic engagement was measured using the Fredricks, Blumenfeld, and Paris (2004) questionnaire, which assesses behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. The experimental group received online instruction in the "Thinking and Research" course based on the 7E model over seven sessions, while the control group received traditional face-to-face instruction. Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance.
Results: The results indicated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the linear combination of academic engagement dimensions (p < 0.001, effect size = 0.55). Follow-up analyses revealed significant improvements specifically in behavioral engagement (p < 0.001, effect size = 0.38) and emotional engagement (p < 0.001, effect size = 0.41) for the experimental group. However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in cognitive engagement (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Online teaching structured around the 7E learning cycle can effectively enhance behavioral and emotional dimensions of academic engagement