Understanding student engagement with a contextual model

Abstract

In the present study, student engagement was conceptualized as a metaconstruct with affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions. As the indicators in each of the three dimensions were unpacked from facilitators and outcomes, we were able to investigate how student engagement was associated with its antecedents and outcomes in a sample of Chinese junior secondary school students (N = 822). The results supported a contextual model for understanding student engagement. They revealed that students were engaged in school when they felt that their teachers adopted motivating instructional practices and they had social-emotional support from their teachers, parents, and peers. Their engagement was high when they had high self-efficacy, endorsed learning goals, and effort attribution. Most importantly, when students were engaged in schools, they experienced positive emotions frequently and their teachers rated them high on academic performance and conduct. The findings have implications for interventions for the enhancement of student engagement in school.