Student Engagement in an Introductory Chemistry Course at a Hispanic Serving Institution: An Exploratory Case Study

Student engagement (SE) is essential for student success; it is also extremely complex. SE combines behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement; therefore, it must be looked at holistically. This exploratory case study, with four participants, explored how students' lived experiences affected their educational engagement in an introductory chemistry course at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Data were collected through multiple sources following the triangulation method, and a constant comparison analysis was followed so that patterns could be uncovered through analysis. Five themes that affect SE emerged: university environment, classroom environment, living environment, mental health, and motivation. Those themes, along with their subthemes, demonstrated the relationships between students' lived experiences and their engagement. These themes, sometimes individually and other times confounded, impacted SE in positive or negative ways, depending on the situation. Some factors that positively affected SE for specific participants negatively affected others. These factors revealed the complexities and intersectionalities of SE and how it must be further explored through a holistic lens.