Students' engagement in school and family variables: A literature review

Feliciano Henriques Veiga,Joseph Conboy,Carolina Carvalho,Adriana Ortiz,Viorel Robu,Diana Galvão

doi:10.1590/1982-02752016000200002

Abstract

"Students' engagement in school" is regarded in the literature as a current and valued construct despite the lack of empirical studies on its relationship with specific family variables. The present research aimed to survey studies on the correlation between students' engagement in school and family contexts, specifically in terms of the following variables: perceived parental support, socioeconomic and sociocultural levels, perceived rights, and parental educational styles. In order to describe the state of the art of student's "engagement in school" and "family variables", a narrative review was conducted. The studies reviewed highlight the role of family as a context with significance in student's engagement in school. However, further research is needed to deepen the knowledge of this topic considering potential mediator variables, either personal or school variables. It was also found the need for a psychosocial intervention aimed at providing support for the students coming from adverse family contexts who exhibit low level of engagement associated with poor academic achievement and a higher probability of dropping out.

Highlights

“Students’ engagement in school” is regarded in the literature as a current and valued construct despite the lack of empirical studies on its relationship with specific family variables
Support: This work is financed by National Founds through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, in the context of the project
The literature underlines the impact of peer group on student attitudes and behaviors, during adolescence (Keefe & Berndt, 1996; Rubin, Bukowski, Parker, & Bowker, 2008), a substantial number of studies on student engagement in school have focused on adult influence (Gest, Rulison, Davidson, Welsh, & Domitrovich, 2008)

Summary

Introduction

“Students’ engagement in school” is regarded in the literature as a current and valued construct despite the lack of empirical studies on its relationship with specific family variables. The present research aimed to survey studies on the correlation between students’ engagement in school and family contexts, in terms of the following variables: perceived parental support, socioeconomic and sociocultural levels, perceived rights, and parental educational styles. Further research is needed to deepen the knowledge of this topic considering potential mediator variables, either personal or school variables It was found the need for a psychosocial intervention aimed at providing support for the students coming from adverse family contexts who exhibit low level of engagement associated with poor academic achievement and a higher probability of dropping out. A presente investigação teve por finalidade analisar as pesquisas acerca das relações entre o envolvimento dos alunos na escola e os contextos familiares, especificamente as variáveis: suporte parental percebido, níveis socioeconômico e. Several aspects of family context have been considered, especially socioeconomic and sociocultural characteristics (Boxer, Goldstein, DeLorenzo, Savoy, & Mercado, 2011; Chau, Baumann, Kabuth, & Chau, 2012; Davis-Kean, 2005; Gohain, 2012; Parker et al, 2012), family relationships (Chen, 2008; Furrer & Skinner, 2003; Hughes & Kwok, 2007), students’ perceptions of family support (N. Bowen & Bowen, 1998; Veiga, 2009; Wentzel, 1998), and parenting practices (Baumrind, 1983; SimonsMorton & Haynie, 2002; Simons-Morton & Chen, 2009; Steinberg & Morris, 2001)

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Conclusion