I belong; hence, I engage? A cohort study of transitions between school engagement classes and academic achievement: The role of relational school climate

Abstract

The role of the school climate in buffering disengagement remains relatively underresearched. The present study examined transitions between classes of early adolescents’ school engagement and relational school climate factors influencing classes of students’ (dis-)engagement, and how these were linked with academic achievement in mid-adolescence. A representative sample of 3,643 early adolescents (48.72% females) from the Growing Up in Australia cohort study was utilised. Latent transition analyses indicated three classes of school engagement, namely mostly disengaged, moderately engaged and highly engaged. Significant transitions were found between classes with fewer students becoming moderately engaged and mostly disengaged. Having a positive teacher–student relationship and higher feelings of school belonging predicted membership to the highly engaged classes. Highly engaged students were fewer by age 12 but had the best achievement only in numeracy, writing and spelling tests at age 14/15. The study underscores the importance of positive relational school climate for fostering school engagement and achievement.

To persist or not? Examining the relations between parental education, self‐regulation, school engagement and persistence in post‐compulsory education

“…School disengagement in adolescents is typically associated with rises in problematic externalising behaviours (Skinner & Pitzer, 2012). However, such declines in engagement are not universally observed and some groups of adolescents may be at greater risk than others (Katsantonis, 2024), particularly those that lack the encouragement from parents or those households that do not have the resources or time to address challenging developmental behavioural changes (Salmela-Aro et al, 2021).…”

Exploring age-related differences in metacognitive self-regulation: the influence of motivational factors in secondary school students

“…Holding greater levels of motivation has been linked with a manifold of positive outcomes, such as well-being ( Howard et al, 2021 ), greater productivity ( Cerasoli et al, 2014 ), and greater self-esteem ( Tang et al, 2020 ). Nevertheless, research studies on adolescent students’ motivation and engagement in secondary schools have shown that students’ motivation and engagement are also declining ( Wang and Eccles, 2013 ; Katsantonis and McLellan, 2023b ; Katsantonis, 2024 ).…”