Levels Of School Engagement Research Articles

The Role of School Engagement in the Link Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Mental Health

PurposeAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk for poor adolescent mental health, yet mediational pathways that connect ACEs with mental health problems remain unaddressed. Our study investigates whether school involvement and disengagement mediate the longitudinal associations between ACEs and adolescent mental health problems. MethodsUsing data from the longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, this study included 7,558 adolescents aged 9–10 years at baseline. ACEs were a cumulative risk score of 21 adverse experiences (e.g., emotional abuse, community violence) reported by parents and youths at baseline or 1-year follow-up. School involvement and disengagement were reported by youths at two-year follow-up. Internalizing and externalizing problems were reported by parents using the Child Behavior Checklist at 3-year follow-up. ResultsA higher ACE score was associated with decreased school involvement (β = −0.08, 95% CI = [−0.10, −0.05]) and increased school disengagement (β = 0.09, 95% CI = [0.06, 0.11]) one year later, and with increased internalizing (β = 0.10, 95% CI = [0.07, 0.12]) and externalizing problems (β = 0.08, 95% CI = [0.06, 0.10]) 2 years later, adjusted for demographics and baseline mental health and school engagement levels. Decreased school involvement and increased disengagement mediated the associations between ACEs with the change in internalizing and externalizing problems over time. DiscussionThe present study highlights the roles of school involvement and disengagement in linking ACEs to worsened mental health outcomes. The findings may inform tailored school-based interventions that address mental health challenges faced by adolescents exposed to ACEs.

Unveiling the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between burnout and engagement among adolescent athletes in sport schools.

Burnout and engagement are pivotal for adolescents' well-being and have received extensive attention in the educational literature. However, less is known about how these factors develop and interact within and between school and sport when adolescent athletes follow dual (school and sport) careers. The aim of this study was to examine the reciprocal relationship between engagement and burnout in school and sport through a cross-lagged analysis of longitudinal associations. A sample of 165 Finnish adolescent athletes (aged 14.5 years, 48.9% girls) enrolled in lower secondary sport schools (i.e., junior high schools) participated in a survey in spring 2019 (i.e., in Grade 8) and 1 year later, in spring 2020 (i.e., in Grade 9). Engagement and burnout had significant autoregressive relationships within school and sport. Furthermore, low levels of sport engagement in Grade 8 predicted sport burnout in Grade 9, and low levels of school burnout in Grade 8 predicted school engagement in Grade 9. Regarding cross-domain effects, high levels of school engagement in Grade 8 predicted low levels of sport engagement in Grade 9. The study shows that school and sport are distinct domains with unique associations between engagement and burnout in each domain. It also shows that adolescent athletes may maintain high school engagement by reducing their sport engagement. These findings highlight the need for sport school practitioners to develop intervention programs to address adolescents' school and sport needs and to support their holistic well-being.

Осознанная саморегуляция и школьная вовлеченность как ресурсы субъективного благополучия обучающихся

<p>The results of an empirical study are presented within the framework of a topical problem of searching for psychological resources for the schoolchildren’ subjective well-being. The resource approach to the study of conscious self-regulation (SR) of achieving goals (V.I. Morosanova) served as the theoretical basis for research. The study had its purpose to assess the contribution of conscious SR and school engagement as resources for the subjective well-being of the 5-11 grade students (N=718). The study implemented the “Multidimensional scale of school engagement” (T.G. Fomina, V.I. Morosanova), Morosanova’s “Self-Regulation Profile of Learning Activity Questionnaire”, and “Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale” (O.A. Sychev et al.). It has been established that the level of conscious SR development and the level of school engagement make a significant contribution to maintaining the students’ subjective well-being in the educational environment. New data have been obtained to clarify that general level of conscious SR development and individual regulatory competencies (planning, modeling, programming, results evaluation) serve as the mediators of the school engagement influence on the students’ subjective well-being. Expanding the understanding of the determinants of students’ subjective well-being, the results obtained provide new arguments in favor of the previously developed idea that conscious SR as a meta-resource not only contributes to the success of solving various life problems, but also enhances the influence of other psychological resources on it. In practical terms, the study results substantiate the productivity of psychological and pedagogical interventions aimed at developing conscious SR and maintaining school engagement as significant resources for subjective satisfaction with the educational environment in adolescent students.</p>

Do I Belong Yet? The Relationship Between Special Education, In-School Suspension, Belonging, and Engagement

Students receiving special education services are disproportionately subjected to exclusionary discipline compared to their nondisabled peers. They also report feeling less connected and engaged at school, which is associated with exclusionary discipline experiences. Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study (2009), we examined the relationship between special education, in-school suspension, school belonging, and school engagement. In line with past research, we found that students who received special education services were at a higher risk of in-school suspension than their general education peers. Students with higher levels of school engagement were at a lower risk of receiving in-school suspension, regardless of special education services. However, higher levels of school belonging were associated with more suspensions for those receiving special education, while the inverse was true for nonspecial education students. Additional research is needed to understand this unique relationship and its implications for discipline and the school experiences of students with dis/abilities.

Investigating the impact of Accessible Pedagogies on the experiences and engagement of students with language and/or attentional difficulties

AbstractStudents with disability tend to report lower levels of school engagement. To date, research has focused on building students’ extrinsic motivation and self-regulation with limited consideration of the impact of instructional barriers. In this mixed-methods study, we investigated the effect of teachers’ participation in the Accessible Pedagogies™ Program of Learning on the classroom experiences and engagement of 56 Year 10 students with disabilities impacting language and information processing. When asked in interviews what their teacher did to help them pay attention and to understand, students described teachers’ increased use of practices that were the focus of the program. Self-report questionnaire data revealed a positive, statistically significant increase in cognitive engagement for students whose teachers participated in Accessible Pedagogies™. No increase was observed for a Comparison Group. Findings suggest that the reduction of extraneous language and cognitive load through teachers’ use of Accessible Pedagogies™ may have helped students deploy available mental effort to engage in learning, rather than expend that effort to overcome unnecessary instructional barriers. Future research will investigate the impact of Accessible Pedagogies™ with larger samples and a wider range of students.

Associations between contextual factors and school engagement: a longitudinal study of profiles

School engagement, encompassing affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions, is key to promoting school retention and preventing absenteeism. Previous research has shown that maintaining high engagement is crucial for a positive educational trajectory. This study investigates the individual contributions of contextual factors, including family, teacher, and peer support, on students who initially had a lower level of school engagement in one dimension and then advanced to a higher level in the same dimension over time. The study involved students enrolled in their first year of secondary education in public schools in Chile during 2021, with the same students being evaluated again the following year. We used means cluster analysis to identify a group of students who initially had low school engagement but showed high engagement by the second evaluation. This allowed us to identify profiles of school engagement longitudinally. Our results indicated that contextual factors had a stronger association with affective engagement, followed by cognitive and behavioral engagement, respectively. Among the contextual factors, family and teachers had a stronger impact compared to peers. These findings highlight the importance of adults, particularly family and teachers, in enhancing school engagement during secondary education.

Регуляторные и личностные ресурсы успеваемости обучающихся с различными профилями школьной вовлеченности

<p>The aim of this study was to enhance understanding of the role of conscious self-regulation as a non-cognitive predictor of academic achievement in student populations with varying levels of school engagement. The sample group analyzed consisted of 1056 secondary school students, encompassing grades 5-11 (M=13.9; SD=1.9). Four key factors were assessed in the study: school engagement, conscious self-regulation, personal properties (using the Big Five model), anxiety, and academic motivation. The analysis revealed the significance of conscious self-regulation as a meta-resource for enhancing academic performance.SEM models were developed to explore regulatory and personal resources relevant to academic performance, revealing the role of conscious self-regulation as a meta-resource for enhancing academic achievement and reducing school-related anxiety in students with varying levels of school engagement. The engagement components were found to mediate the impact of personal and motivational resources on academic performance. Conscious self-regulation consistently exhibits a positive effect among all individual-typological groups. Understanding the intricate network of direct and mediated influences of self-regulation and engagement on academic performance can provide a foundation for creating curricula that facilitate optimal learning outcomes.</p>

Friendship Quality and Its Relationship to School Engagement and Academic Achievement among High School Students in Jordan

This study aimed to explore the relationship between friendship quality and school engagement, and academic achievement and their levels among high school students for academic year 2020- 2021 in Amman. The sample of the study consisted of (300) male and female students, whose schools were chosen randomly. The results showed: highest level of friendship qualities was for help dimension (mean 3.98), followed by closeness (mean 3.94), highest level of school engagement was for behavioral (mean 3.93), cognitive engagement was second (3.46), and lowest level was for emotional (mean 3.40), level of academic achievement was very good (mean 81.57). Moreover, a positive significant correlation between companionship, security, closeness with behavioral engagement, while a significant negative correlation between conflict and behavioral engagement. A positive significant correlational relationship was found between all dimensions of friendship qualities except for conflict dimension. And all friendship dimensions correlated positively with cognitive engagement. As for academic achievement, it correlated with three dimensions of friendship (closeness, help, security).

Self-Regulation and Academic Learning in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Links to School Engagement and Levels of Autism Characteristics.

Children with autism spectrum disorder often demonstrate self-regulation challenges and academic difficulties. Although self-regulation has been well documented as an important factor for academic achievement in neurotypical children, little is known about how it is related to academic learning in autistic children, especially during preschool, a critical developmental period for both emergent academic skills and self-regulatory abilities. It is also unclear whether school engagement or autism characteristics influence the relation between self-regulation and academic learning in autistic children during preschool. Thirty-two autistic preschoolers participated in this study. Direct measures and parent reports were used to measure three dimensions of self-regulation, including executive function, effortful control, and emotion regulation. Classroom-based data from multiple academic programs were used to reflect their average rates of achieving new literacy and mathematics learning goals. Teachers reported the participants' levels of school engagement, and their autism characteristics were measured directly. Emotion regulation was significantly linked to the rate of meeting literacy learning goals in autistic preschoolers, whereas multiple executive function skills, including inhibitory and attentional control and working memory, were associated with their mathematics learning rate. Emotion regulation demonstrated a stronger association with literacy learning when autistic children were more engaged in classroom activities. Levels of autism characteristics did not mediate or moderate the association between self-regulation and academic learning. Future interventions and teaching should consider fostering self-regulation and facilitating school engagement for autistic preschoolers besides targeting their learning performance on specific academic content to promote their current and future academic success.

Worlds apart: Students' perception of teachers’ responses to their mental health issues

This study applies data from the China Education Panel Survey (N = 7954; boys: 51.28%; M age = 13.92) to explore students' perceptions of teachers' responses to their mental health issues and how students' and parents' level of engagement with school is associated with teachers' responses. The results suggest that in addition to being influenced by the severity of students' mental health issues, teachers' responses are highly influenced by the school engagement levels of students and parents. This study highlights teachers' uneven attention to students’ mental health issues, which is inadequately addressed in real-life research and practice.

Daily associations between adolescents' executive function and school engagement: The role of ethnic/racial discrimination.

Executive function (EF) has rarely been considered for adolescents' daily school outcomes or in conjunction with ethnic/racial discrimination. Using 2-week, daily data from 137 ethnic/racial minority adolescents (Mage = 14.56; 53% female; 56% Black, 19% Latinx, 7% Asian, 7% Native, 12% other [e.g., multiracial]) in the Midwest United States, this study examined same-day, within-person associations between EF and school engagement (controlling for prior-day engagement), and how these associations varied by adolescents' daily experiences of ethnic/racial discrimination. Two EF components, inhibitory control and working memory, were associated with higher levels of school engagement on the same day, only on days when adolescents reported lower than their typical levels of discrimination. An alternative, indirect effect (i.e., discrimination compromised same-day school engagement via EF) was not observed. Findings highlight novel mechanisms through which discrimination may contribute to educational disparities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Vulnerable young people and post‐16 educational aspirations during Covid‐19

AbstractThis study used a longitudinal, probability sample survey, Understanding Society Covid‐19, to examine young people's post‐16 educational aspirations at the height of the Covid‐19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on four vulnerable groups (namely, young carers; Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic young people; young people with long‐term illness and disability; and people with internalising and externalising behavioural difficulties). The findings from this study showed young carers and young people with health conditions to be less likely to choose A levels, despite reporting roughly equal levels of school engagement and school‐related support. The Covid‐19 pandemic has laid bare the obstacles often faced by young carers and young people with pre‐existing health conditions and behaviour difficulties. It is hoped that the findings will contribute to debates about social care and education and will have implications for public policy and action, especially as public services are under enormous strain and are less likely to reach those who need them most.

School engagement, school climate and youth externalizing behaviors: direct and indirect effects of parenting practices.

This research aimed to explore the direct and indirect effects of students' school engagement, school climate and parenting practices on youth's externalizing behaviors. A quantitative methodology with a sample of 183 Portuguese students, aged between 11 and 16 years old, was used. The main results suggested negative associations between externalizing behaviors and higher levels of school engagement and positive school climate. Poor parental supervision, inconsistent discipline and corporal punishment were positively related with externalizing behaviors, contrary to parental involvement and positive parenting that were associated with lower levels of externalizing behaviors. However, negative parenting practices were associated with lower levels of school engagement. Additionally, the results indicated that parenting practices might influence youth's externalizing behaviors through school engagement.

The Nexus between individual interest and school engagement in bolstering Physical Culture for a habitual healthy régime: a case of a state university

Background and Study Aim. A worldwide consensus exists that students' levels of interest strongly predict and trigger their engagement in various activities, particularly those that promote physical culture. Academic works in the field of Physical Education have demonstrated that students can be extremely engaged when they are exposed to situations that pique their interest. However, the relationship and influence of students’ individual interests on their engagement in school have not yet been documented further. Hence, conducting an investigation should be performed.
 Materials and Methods. The current research endeavors to identify any discernible gender differences in students' individual interests and school engagement levels. In addition, the initiative intends to use an analysis of the relationship between individual interest and school engagement as a foundation for promoting a healthy and active campus community. Undergraduate students in their 1st- and 2nd-year who are enrolled in Physical Education 1 and Physical Education 3 courses during the 1st Semester of the Academic year 2022-2023 are the participants in the study. Participants were selected via Purposive and Convenience Sampling Techniques. The data for this study was collected through a Google forms-based online survey. Additionally, the published English version of the Students’ Individual Interest in Physical Education questionnaire and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-9S) were adopted to gather data from the respondents. In order to examine the difference between individual interest and school engagement according to gender, Independent Samples T-Test was performed. Spearman Rho’s and Multiple Regression Analysis examined the relationship between the two variables.
 Results. After obtaining data from 1072 university students [(Nmale = 456(42.5%), Nfemale = 616(57.5%)], it was found that no significant variance was observed concerning individual interest and school engagement based on gender. Additionally, a positive and significant association was observed between individual interest and school engagement. Lastly, it was also found that individual interest, alongside its three factors, predicts school engagement.
 Conclusions. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that students’ individual interests have a direct and beneficial influence on their level of school engagement. This investigation was conducted to fully communicate physical culture to students in order to improve their overall well-being. Based on the findings, recommendations for the future research direction and physical education teachers have been produced as a result of this investigation.

Attributional profiles: Considering multiple causal attributions for success and failure at the beginning of secondary school

Students typically perceive their successes and failures to have multiple causes. The present study examined students’ profiles of causal attributions for success and failure during the first year of secondary school. The stability of attributional profile membership was assessed across three timepoints. Furthermore, it was examined whether students characterized by different attribution profiles differed in their levels of school engagement, self-esteem, and school performance. Latent profile analyses and latent transition analyses among 657 first-year Dutch secondary school students (Mage = 12.6, SD = 0.4) identified four attributional profiles, which were similar across the three timepoints. The profiles were labelled uncontrollable failure, controllable failure, uncontrollable success, and undifferentiated. About half of the students (52 %) remained member of the same profile across the three timepoints. Students in the uncontrollable success profile reported significantly lower levels of school engagement and self-esteem, and performed less well in school compared to students in the other profiles. Students in the uncontrollable failure profile and the controllable failure profile did not differ from each other with regard to school engagement, self-esteem, and school performance. The findings suggest that attributional retraining interventions may want to shift their focus from changing uncontrollable failure attributions to changing students’ external, uncontrollable attributions for success.

School engagement profiles in Chilean secondary students.

School engagement is considered a key variable in promoting educational trajectories. Previous research shows that maintaining high levels of school engagement is fundamental, given its association with multiple academic results and lower-risk behaviors. This article aims to show how school engagement profiles (based on the behavioral, affective, and cognitive subdimensions) relate to academic achievement (math and language), contextual factors (family, teachers, and peer support), and gender. This study involved 527 students enrolled in the 1st year of secondary education in public schools in Chile. All students came from vulnerable schools. Our study used cluster analysis to identify students' profiles. We identified the existence of three different profiles of school engagement (high, medium, and low) considering the three subdimensions of school engagement (behavioral, affective and cognitive). Secondly, ANOVA analysis showed differences in language and math academic achievement scores between the profiles, where higher engagement students showed higher academic performance in language and math. These findings are consistent with previous studies showing that contextual factors strongly influence school engagement and better behavioral engagement in female than male students. It will discuss the pertinence of person-centered approaches focusing on combinations of variables within students rather than taking each variable as the focal point when analyzing goals. These techniques are a favorable methodological alternative to investigate why some students have better results than others instead of just ranking students by their performance. It will conclude with some future lines of research and practical implications.

Дифференциальные аспекты регуляторных и личностных ресурсов успеваемости учащихся с различными профилями школьной вовлеченности

Background. Presented research was carried out in the context of relevant in modern psychology differential approach to the study of the psychological characteristics ensuring students’ academic achievement. Objective. The study had its purpose to identify differential features of regulatory and personality resources of academic performance in the students with different profiles of school engagement. Sample. The sample consisted of 1056 schoolchildren of 5-11 grades. Methods. V.I. Morosanova’s “The Self-Regulation Profile of Learning Activity Questionnaire (SRPLAQ)”; “A Multidimensional School Engagement Scale” (Wang et al., 2019; Russian adaptation Fomina, Morosanova, 2020); “Big Five Questionnaire — Children version (BFQ-C)” (Russian adaptation Malykh et al., 2015); “Academic Motivation Scale - School (AMS-S)” (Gordeeva et al., 2017); “Attitude towards learning in middle and high school” (modification of «Method of diagnostic of learning motivation and emotional attitude to learning in secondary and high school») (Andreeva, Prikhozhan, 2006). Academic achievement indicator was calculated as the average score in all subjects. Results. The study revealed 4 groups with different levels of school engagement and its components. An analysis of differences in achievement resources in the identified groups showed that students with a high level of school engagement were characterized by the highest levels of self-regulation, internal academic motivation, extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience. The most successful in terms of academic achievement were the students with a high level of all engagement components, as well as those with a high cognitive engagement. Conclusion. The study provides empirical data on the differential features of regulatory and personality resources of academic achievement in the students with different profiles of school engagement. Further studies might be aimed at investigating the age specificity of the identified engagement profiles and individual typological features of academic achievement resources.

Middle and High School Students Who Take Care of Siblings, Parents, and Grandparents: Associations With School Engagement, Belonging, and Well-Being

This partnership-based study identified how many middle and high school students take care of parents, siblings, and grandparents at home, via student surveys across Rhode Island public schools (N = 48,508; 46% White non-Latinx; 21% Latinx; 47% girls). Further, we investigated how students’ caregiving for family related to their school engagement, belonging, and emotional well-being. A sizable proportion of students reported caring for family for part (29%) or most of the day (7%). Girls and Black, Asian, Latinx, Native, and multiracial youth were more likely to care for family, compared to boys and White non-Latinx youth. Caregiving students from all demographics were more likely to experience intense sadness compared to noncaregivers, revealing a need to support caregiving youth in schools. In addition, caregiving girls reported lower levels of school engagement and school belonging. However, caregiving for part of the day was related to greater belonging among Black and Native youth.

The Relationship between School Moral Atmosphere and Student Engagement in Secondary Schools

The main aim of the study is to examine the relationship between the secondary school students’ perceptions of the school’s moral atmosphere and their engagement with school. The School Engagement Scale and School Moral Atmosphere Scale were applied to 872 students attending the secondary schools in the 2016-2017 academic year. The study revealed that the school engagement levels showed a significant difference in favor of female students in terms of gender. Based on the multiple regression analysis, it was determined that school moral atmosphere is a significant predictor of school engagement. The results of this study suggest that school moral atmosphere is one of the key determinants of students’ engagement with school, and hence it can be useful to improve school moral atmosphere to increase students’ affective, cognitive, and behavioral engagement.

Student resilience to COVID-19-related school disruptions: The value of historic school engagement.

Does historic school engagement buffer the threats of disrupted schooling - such as those associated with the widespread COVID-19-related school closures - to school engagement equally for female and male high school students? This article responds to that pressing question. To do so, it reports a study that was conducted in 2018 and 2020 with the same sample of South African students (n = 172; 66.30% female; average age in 2020: 18.13). A moderated moderation model of the 2018 and 2020 data showed that historic levels of school engagement buffered the negative effects of disrupted schooling on subsequent school engagement (R² = .43, β = -5.09, p < .05). This protective effect was significant for girl students at moderate and high levels of historic school engagement, but not at lower levels of historic school engagement. Disrupted schooling did not significantly affect school engagement for male students at any level of historic school engagement. In addition, student perceptions of teacher kindness were associated with higher school engagement and having experienced an adverse event at school with lower school engagement. The results point to the importance of facilitating school engagement and enabling school environments - also when schooling is disrupted.