Students' engagement in school and family variables: A literature review

Influence of Teacher and Family Support on University Student Motivation and Engagement

Although many studies endorse the notion that the way students perceive support influences their engagement, very few have explored the possible mediator role of intention to learn between these variables. The present work provides new evidence to the existing literature because it analyses the work of intention to learn (measured with expectancy-value beliefs and achievement goals) as a mediating motivational variable in the relation between university students' external support (teacher and family) and their engagement. The Educational Situation Quality Model (MOCSE, its acronym in Spanish) has employed as a theoretical framework to perform this analysis. A sample of 267 Spanish university students completed the questionnaires employed to measure the considered variables at three times. They answered teacher and family support scales when the course began (time 1), intention to learn scales halfway through the course (time 2), and engagement scales when the course ended (time 3). The obtained structural equation models showed a positive and significant effect for teacher and family support on the considered motivational variables (expectancy-value beliefs and achievement goals) and these, in turn, on student behavioral engagement. These results allow us to point out a series of recommendations for university teachers to improve their students' involvement in their learning process.

Student engagement in Higher Education, age and parental education level

Abstract Within the scope of socio-cognitive theories, student engagement in school has been studied as a multidimensional construct. A four-dimensional perspective was adopted, with the dimensions: affective, cognitive, behavioural and agentic. The objective, to analyse how the variables age and parental education relate to student engagement in school. The sample consisted of 715 Portuguese public Higher Education students from the Lisbon area. The data was collected through an online survey, which included the Student Engagement in School: a Four-Dimensional Scale – Higher Education Version. Data analysis not only revealed that students of age 26 or older scored considerably higher results in engagement than younger colleagues, but also highlighted significant differences of engagement in the affective, behavioural and agentic dimensions, depending on parental education. The results, while partially corroborating the revised literature, suggest future in-depth studies.

Envolvimento dos alunos na escola e suas perceções acerca do apoio parental

Esta investigação de natureza quantitativa e correlacional tem como objectivo conhecer a relação do apoio parental com o envolvimento escolar dos filhos e identificar quais os comportamentos específicos dos pais que se relacionam significativamente com o envolvimento dos filhos na escola. A amostra foi constituída por 330 alunos do 10 º ano de escolaridade, de uma Escola Secundária da área de Lisboa. Os resultados indicam uma relação positiva entre a percepção dos alunos do apoio parental e o envolvimento dos alunos na escola. Foram identificados comportamentos parentais que se relacionam com o envolvimento escolar dos alunos .