Enthusiastic participation may look like learning, but doesn’t guarantee deep understanding. It’s tempting to believe that when students are active and responsive, they’re learning well. But visible engagement doesn’t always equal cognitive engagement — the “Engagement Illusion.” True learning requires effortful thinking, reflection, and making connections. Example: A teacher leads a lively quiz. Students shout out answers and seem involved. Later, test results show that few retained or understood the material
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Reeve, J. (2012). A self-determination theory perspective on student engagement. In S. L. Christenson et al. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Student Engagement (pp. 149–172). Springer.