88 Chapter 4 what they think. Because every now and then I have a different opinion than they have. And when you give that opinion, and they defend theirs, only then do you start thinking. Because you can simply say “no it’s not like that”, but I won’t accept that – I will ask them “why not?” And when they start explaining, then I can start to understand it. (Student 3) In this quote, the student described how other students in his study group would be satisfied when they reached the answer to a question, but he often felt he did not understand why that answer was the right answer or that he had another opinion. His learning beliefs included that discussing answers with peers leads to better understanding. So, his learning strategies included challenging his peers to explain the content to him to advance his understanding. This was possible given the highly interactive nature of the study group meetings. This quote shows how antecedents jointly influence the students’ willingness to engage with his peers during a meeting. It is the result of the combination of stimulating and limiting factors. Additionally, antecedents seem to have a dynamic influence. Students reported how their engagement varied from meeting to meeting, depending on their perception of the antecedents beforehand: Study group meetings vary in how engaging they are. It has to do with the content. For example, last period we learned about medical research, and everybody knows very little thereof, everybody thinks it’s not so interesting, and then the levels of engagement drop. The meetings become less instructive. And content which everybody likes, then you learn a lot and yeah you participate more. (Student 1) This quote illustrates that students anticipate or reflect on upcoming meetings and that antecedents do not have a fixed or static influence on student engagement. Tutor difficulty: Distinguishing engagement from disengagement Students found it difficult to stay engaged for longer periods of time, especially when they did not think the topic was interesting, the questions were perceived as too difficult, or when the meeting was at the end of a day. They indicated a role for the tutor to stimulate, maintain, and regulate their engagement. As one student put it: Our study group meeting is from 3.45-5.45PM. Well, I had to work in the morning that day, so I got up at 6.30AM. Then I am not at home the entire day, and then I need to walk in the classroom at 3.45PM. Yeah, you are just tired then […] I think I also had a drink the day before, so I was not feeling very well. So yeah, it all piles up and you just get tired. But I could get myself to do something you know, that is not a problem. But you get the feeling that after a while everybody feels like “guys, we could also skip the last assignment?” You get that feeling after a while, and then the tutor is very handy to sort of, redirect us. (Student 12)
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