Role Of School Engagement Research Articles

Experiences of peer victimization and teacher support in secondary school predict university enrolment 5years later: Role of school engagement.

Peer victimization has an adverse effect on academic outcomes. However, longitudinal research on how peer victimization affects access to higher education is lacking. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms through which peer victimization and teacher support affect aspirations for and enrolment at university 5years later through engagement in secondary school. We also examined whether these effects were moderated by ethnicity, and whether teacher support may compensate for the effects of peer victimization. The sample (N=15,110, 51% male, 68% White, 12% Black and 20% Asian) was drawn from a nationally representative study of young people in England. We used data from four waves, following adolescents over 3years of secondary education (T1-T2-T3, age 13 to 15years) until university (T4, age 18years). Data were analysed in a longitudinal structural equation model in Mplus 8. Adolescents subjected to more peer victimization at T1 had lower university aspirations 2years later and were less likely to attend university 5years later. These effects were mediated via secondary school engagement. Teacher support at T1 was related to higher school engagement, leading to higher aspirations (T3) and higher likelihood of university enrolment (T4) over time. We also found evidence that teacher support may lessen the effect of peer victimization on school engagement, and that ethnic background may moderate the effect of teacher support. Peer victimization had a small long-lasting negative effect on university choices via school engagement, while teacher support had a positive effect. In summary, relationships in secondary school have long-lasting implications for university aspirations and enrolment.

The Role of School Engagement in Increasing Vaccination During Measles Mass Vaccination Campaign in Nigeria, 2018: The Lagos State Experience

Background: Schools based vaccination provide opportunity for the delivery of routine vaccines, using the school as the venue of delivery. During the 2017/2018 measles vaccination campaign, the school system stakeholders were systematically engaged for buy-in to vaccinate 9-59 months old children in Lagos State, Nigeria. This paper is a report of how the Lagos state school authority were engaged for the 2018 measles vaccination campaign. It also highlights the contribution of the engagement in the overall performance of the state looking at the vaccination coverage data and comparing that with the previous campaign. Method: We reported on the role of engaging the school health system in improving coverage using a descriptive mixed-method study design. The stakeholders cutting across the government, education sector, public and private schools were identified and engaged through coordination meetings, dialogues, lobby and sensitization to support vaccination in schools. We summarized the outcome of the engagement activities, analyzed the administrative, post-campaign coverage data and compared it with the 2016 measles supplemental activities coverage. Results: A total of 12,903 schools were used as venues (vaccination posts), while 22 sensitization meetings were held with school associations. About 80% of all eligible children vaccinated in the Local Government Areas (LGAs) during the 2018 Measles Vaccination Campain (MVC), received the vaccine at schools. The lowest proportion of children vaccinated at school was 45.0% in Oshodi LGA. Surulere LGA had the highest proportion of children vaccinated in schools (95.0%). Overall, Lagos state had a weighted average coverage of 93.8% for the post-campaign coverage survey. Conclusion: The implementation of the school engagement process for supplemental immunization activities contributed to achieving high vaccination coverage as most of the children aged 9-59 months were vaccinated in schools.

The role of affective teacher-student relationships in adolescents’ school engagement and achievement trajectories

This longitudinal study investigated the role of teacher-student closeness and conflict in adolescents' school engagement trajectories, and how school engagement dimensions predict achievement trajectories. A sample of 5,382 adolescents (Mage.wave1= 13.06, SD = 0.51; 49.6% boys) were followed from Grade 7 to 9. Yearly measures included student reports on school engagement dimensions, teacher reports on closeness and conflict, and standardized tests for math achievement. Latent growth models revealed that closeness positively and conflict negatively predicted students' school engagement. Furthermore, adolescents' behavioral and emotional engagement, and disaffection in particular, played an important role in predicting achievement within the same schoolyear. Moreover, increases in behavioral disaffection and emotional engagement aligned with reduced and steeper increases in achievement between Grade 7 and 9, respectively. In general, this study underscores the importance of adolescents’ affective teacher-student relationships for their engagement in school, and the role of school engagement in predicting achievement.

Gender-specific Trajectories of Maltreatment, School Engagement, and Delinquency: The Protective Role of School Engagement

ABSTRACT Despite the link between child maltreatment and delinquency has been well-established, relatively few studies have examined gender differences in the protective role of school factors that attenuates delinquency for adolescents who reported child maltreatment. This study aimed to examine gender-specific trajectories of child maltreatment, school engagement, and delinquency with a framework of life course perspectives. It also examined the protective role of school engagement trajectory on delinquency over time by gender. A total of 348 adolescents who reported maltreatment experiences in a nationally representative sample from the Korea Welfare Panel study with three waves was examined using latent growth models. The results revealed that males experienced neglect, physical and emotional abuse significantly more than females at baseline, but this significance disappeared as females’ experience increased with age. Being male decreased initial level of school engagement at baseline, which also increased initial level of delinquency, but being male increased the growth rate of school engagement over time, which also decreased the growth rate of delinquency. Females who experienced maltreatment rapidly dropped school engagement without increasing delinquency. Sexual abuse, neglect, and multiple types of maltreatment experiences also fit the model. Implication of the findings for females and males were different and discussed.

Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Adolescent Health Risk Problems: The Role of School Engagement.

Maternal depressive symptoms disrupt positive youth development, though the pervasiveness of this disruption is understudied. Additionally, it remains unknown whether prosocial factors such as adolescent school engagement may buffer against this risk factor. Using multigenerational, longitudinal data spanning ten years from an ethnically diverse sample of mother-child dyads (66% Black, 17% Hispanic, and 17% White), this study examines the effect of maternal depressive symptoms in late childhood (ages 8-13) on the development and progression of offspring depressive symptoms, substance use, and delinquent behavior during adolescence (ages 14-17). Further, the study examines whether school engagement moderates the ill effects of maternal depressive symptoms. Mother-son (n = 212) and mother-daughter (n = 215) dyads are compared to assess for similarities and differences between male and female offspring. The results indicate that offspring of mothers with greater maternal depressive symptoms are more likely to display higher levels of depressive symptoms, substance use, and delinquency throughout adolescence, although important nuances emerge across outcome and child sex. Additionally, while school engagement itself is associated with reduced depressive symptoms, substance use and delinquency among adolescents, it is not profound enough to offset the risk posed by maternal depressive symptoms. The findings of this study reinforce the pervasive, negative, intergenerational impact of maternal depressive symptoms and has implications for prevention and intervention efforts for adolescent health risk problems.

The mediating role of school engagement on perceived teacher support and satisfaction with life

The view of the school as a enviromental promoter of personal well-being has raised great interest in the study of variables related to positive development of students in the field of psychoeducational research. This study aims to test a structural model which posits both direct and indirect influence of perceived teacher support through school engagement on satisfaction with life. The study comprised 1250 students of compulsory secondary education aged between 12 and 15 years (Mage=13.72; SD=1.09) randomly selected in the Basque Country, of whom 612 (49%) were male and 638 (50 %) female. The results confirm the influence exerted by perceived teacher support on satisfaction with life through school engagement (²(51)=219.743, p<.001; GFI=.972; CFI=.965; TLI=.954; SRMR=.031; RMSEA=.051). Finally, the results and their implications, as well as the future research perspectives are discussed.

The mediating role of school engagement on perceived teacher support and satisfaction with life

The view of the school as a enviromental promoter of personal well-being has raised great interest in the study of variables related to positive development of students in the field of psychoeducational research. This study aims to test a structural model which posits both direct and indirect influence of perceived teacher support through school engagement on satisfaction with life. The study comprised 1250 students of compulsory secondary education aged between 12 and 15 years (Mage=13.72; SD=1.09) randomly selected in the Basque Country, of whom 612 (49%) were male and 638 (50 %) female. The results confirm the influence exerted by perceived teacher support on satisfaction with life through school engagement (²(51)=219.743, p<.001; GFI=.972; CFI=.965; TLI=.954; SRMR=.031; RMSEA=.051). Finally, the results and their implications, as well as the future research perspectives are discussed.

Parent involvement and academic outcomes among urban adolescents: examining the role of school engagement

The present study examined the extent to which parent involvement in education was directly and indirectly (via school engagement) related to academic outcomes in an effort to more fully understand the school experiences of urban adolescents. Participants (80% racial/ethnic minority; n = 108) were in grades 6, 7 or 8. In the Fall and subsequent Spring youth completed in-school surveys with items on parental involvement in education, school engagement (affective, behavioural, cognitive engagement) and perceived academic competence. Grades were obtained from official school records. Findings showed that parental involved was positively associated with behavioural and cognitive engagement, which in turn contributed to academic competence and achievement. Results underscore the importance of parental involvement in adolescents’ engagement and academic success and highlight the importance of examining the multiple components of school engagement simultaneously, as we found differential effects for affective, behavioural, and cognitive engagement on academic competence and achievement.

Pathways toward whole community transformation: a case study on the role of school engagement and environmental education

The City of Colwood in British Columbia, Canada, has engaged in a wide-ranging project aiming to encourage whole community transformation, through the use of environmental education, incentives and the adoption of energy efficiency behavior and technologies. Researchers and students from Royal Roads University partnered with a Middle School to deliver an action research driven educational program to 120 Grade 7 (age 12/13) students that reflected goals of the City program: water conservation, solar hot water and the energy efficiency of homes. Students engaged in classroom activities and field trips to homes with energy upgrades installed. The students’ subject matter engagement was captured through systematic observation, field notes and photographs, and the development of knowledge was assessed through curriculum exercises and a quantitative survey. Both students and their parents were surveyed to see whether the interaction with the students had implications for intergenerational learning and the possibility of increasing wider community engagement in the program. It was found that while the students engaged in the classroom session did increase their awareness and understanding of energy efficiency, curriculum design needed to include more opportunities to discuss the issues at home to maximize the opportunities for intergenerational learning and an increase in awareness more generally.

The Role of School Engagement in Strengthening Resilience among Male Street Children

Globally, considerable numbers of at-risk children continue to disengage from school by dropping out and adopting street life for various reasons. These children survive in environments that are devoid of resilience-promoting resources. In South Africa, non-governmental organisations accommodate street children in shelters and send them to schools. This qualitative South African study examined whether or not school engagement strengthened resilience among male school-going street children in residential care. We conducted three semi-structured focus group interviews with the street children who volunteered participation in this study. The study involved 17 street children aged between 11 and 17 years. The participants had lived on the streets for periods ranging from three months to five years. The participants were in Grades 6–11. The transcribed interviews were thematically analysed. The findings showed that school engagement strengthened resilience among the participants by promoting pro-social change, future orientation, opportunities for support, learning of basic skills and restoration of childhood. The findings show researchers, health-care and educational practitioners that through school engagement, schools can expose street children to healthy and supportive social and academic environments in order to enable them to regain their childhoods, remain in school and function resiliently. The findings therefore, reconfirmed school engagement as a powerful, multifaceted resilience-promoting resource even for children with street life experiences.

The role of school engagement in preventing adolescent delinquency and substance use: A survival analysis

The present study was designed to examine the effects of school engagement on risky behavior in adolescence. Using data from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), a longitudinal study of U.S. adolescents, discrete-time survival analyses were conducted to assess the effect of behavioral and emotional school engagement on the initiation of drug use and delinquency. The current analyses used seven years of longitudinal data collected from youth and their parents. Results of discrete-time survival analysis indicated that, controlling for demographic variables, higher degrees of behavioral and emotional school engagement predicted a significantly lower risk of substance use and involvement in delinquency. Substance use prevention programs and other health-risk reduction programs should include components (i.e., adolescents' participation in and emotional attachment to school) to capitalize on the protective role of the school context against youth risk behavior.