Paper Title
The Strategies of Veteran Teachers for Engaging Students in Learning Activities in Classroom Environment

Abstract
Student participation in learning activities refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that the students show when learning or studying, and to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. Teachers can use a variety of strategies to support the positive emotions that will make the learning process easier for students, lessen negative behavior, and promote student engagement. The aim of this study is to determine and evaluate the views and suggestions of veteran teachers serving in Primary Schools and Secondary Schools in the city of Erzincan over the student engagement in learning activities in school environment. We asked two open ended questions to the participant teachers to obtain the data: “What promotes students engagement in learning activities?”, and “What do you recommend novice teachers to do to promote student engagement?” We used a qualitative research method to evaluate and compare the views of veteran teachers in terms of students’ engagement in learning activities in school environment. The research was carried out with the participation of eight veteran teachers working in various Primary Schools and Secondary Schools in the city of Erzincan for at least 10 years. The views of veteran teachers obtained through face-to-face interviews suggest that entertaining learning environment, drama, music, sport and after-school activities, positive teacher-student relationship, motivation, teacher’s warm and sincere approach to the student, and effective communication with the students and their parents are of great importance and effect on student engagement in learning activities. Key words- Student Engagement, Positive teacher-student relationship, Veteran Teacher, Classroom Management, Academic Achievement