4 research outputs found
Do Girls and Boys Perceive Themselves as Equally Engaged in School? The Results of an International Study from 12 Countries
This study examined gender differences in student engagement and academic
performance in school. Participants included 3420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th
graders) from Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal,
Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results
indicated that, compared to boys, girls reported higher levels of engagement in
school andwere rated higher by their teachers in academic performance. Student
engagement accounted for gender differences in academic performance, but
gender did not moderate the associations among student engagement, academic
performance, or contextual supports. Analysis of multiple-group structural
equation modeling revealed that perceptions of teacher support and parent
support, but not peer support, were related indirectly to academic performance
through student engagement. This partial mediation model was invariant across
gender. The findings from this study enhance the understanding about the
contextual and personal factors associated with girls' and boys' academic
performance around the world
Understanding and Measuring Student Engagement in School: The Results of an International Study From 12 Countries
The objective of the present study was to develop a scale that is appropriate for use internationally to measure affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions of student engagement. Psychometric properties of this scale were examined with data of 3,420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th grade) from 12 countries (Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The intraclass correlation of the full-scale scores of student engagement between countries revealed that it was appropriate to aggregate the data from the 12 countries for further analyses. Coefficient alphas revealed good internal consistency. Test–retest reliability coefficients were also acceptable. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the data fit well to a second-order model with affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement as the
first-order factors and student engagement as the second-order factor. The results
support the use of this scale to measure student engagement as a metaconstruct.
Furthermore, the significant correlations of the scale with instructional practices,
teacher support, peer support, parent support, emotions, academic performance, and school conduct indicated good concurrent validity of the scale. Considerations and implications regarding the international use of this student engagement in school measure are discussed
Cultural universality and specificity of student engagement in school: The results of an international study from 12 countries
The Hong Kong subproject was supported by the Quality Education Fund of the Education Bureau in Hong Kong, whereas the Portuguese subproject was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and by the Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon. The data of this paper were part of the data collected in a multinational project initiated by the International School Psychology Association.Background. A comprehensive understanding of the contextual factors that are linked to student engagement requires research that includes cross-cultural perspectives.
Aims. This study investigated how student engagement in school is associated with
grade, gender, and contextual factors across 12 countries. It also investigated whether
these associations vary across countries with different levels of individualism and socioeconomic development.
Samples. The participants were 3,420 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students from Austria,
Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the
United Kingdom, and the United States.
Methods. The participants completed a questionnaire to report their engagement in
school, the instructional practices they experienced, and the support they received from teachers, peers, and parents. Hierarchical linear modelling was used to examine the effects at both student and country levels.
Results. The results across countries revealed a decline in student engagement from
Grade 7 to Grade 9, with girls reporting higher engagement than boys. These trends did not vary across the 12 countries according to the Human Development Index and
Hofstede’s Individualism Index. Most of the contextual factors (instructional practices,
teacher support, and parent support) were positively associated with student engagement.
With the exception that parent support had a stronger association with student
engagement in countries with higher collectivism, most of the associations between the
contextual factors and student engagement did not vary across countries.
Conclusions. The results indicate both cultural universality and specificity regarding
contextual factors associated with student engagement in school. They illustrate the
advantages of integrating etic and emic approaches in cross-cultural investigations