A moderate correlation existed between total motivation and total engagement

(r=.30, p<.05) indicating that higher levels of student motivation were associated with

higher levels of student engagement among these respondents. Additionally, total

motivation was correlated with the engagement construct academic challenge (r=.33,

p<.05) suggesting that higher levels of student motivation were coupled with higher

levels of academic challenge. Moderate correlations were also found between task

motivation and total engagement (r=.30, p<.05) as well as academic challenge (r=.34,

p<.05). The data suggests that among these students, higher levels of total motivation

were associated with total student engagement with emphasis placed on the constructs

academic challenge and task motivation.

 For the correlations specific to the measurement of student engagement, total

student engagement was correlated with internal constructs: academic challenge (r=.77,

p<.05), active learning (r=.76, p<.05), and student-faculty interaction (r=.71, p<.05).

These correlations provided evidence that constructs measuring motivation were closely

related to the total measure of student engagement. See Table 4-62 for findings regarding

relationships among cognitive style gap, stress, motivation and engagement for all

participating students.

 For demographic questions, student respondents were asked to specify age,

gender, number of similar courses taken and college classification. Responses were used

to correlate with cognitive style gap. No moderate correlations existed among

demographic variables and the measurement of cognitive style gap, stress, motivation and

engagement.