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A qualitative study of Indian and Indian immigrant adolescents’ perceptions of the factors affecting their engagement and performance in school

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Abstract

Although a growing body of quantitative research has examined the non-cognitive factors affecting the school engagement and performance of adolescents across cultures, there is relatively sparse qualitative research investigating the perceptions of adolescents regarding the factors influencing their engagement and performance in school. This focus group study comprising 32 Indian adolescents from India (mean age = 16.78 years) and 20 Indian immigrant adolescents from Canada (mean age = 17.05 years), therefore, using a self-determination theory perspective, explored the perceptions of Indian and Indian immigrant adolescents about the factors affecting their school engagement and performance in India and Canada, respectively. Thematic analysis of eight focus group discussions suggested that Indian and Indian immigrant adolescents were primarily extrinsically motivated toward school and academics. Further, both the Indian and Indian immigrant adolescents perceived their classroom teachers as controlling rather than autonomy-supportive. Implications of the findings are briefly discussed.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided for the first author by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant No. 752-2008-2140).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emirates College for Advanced Education, P. O. Box 126662, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Shaljan Areepattamannil

  2. Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada

    John G. Freeman & Don A. Klinger

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  1. Shaljan Areepattamannil
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  2. John G. Freeman
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  3. Don A. Klinger
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Correspondence to Shaljan Areepattamannil.

Appendix: Focus group interview guide

Appendix: Focus group interview guide

  1. 1.

    Do you care about school and academics? Why or why not?

  2. 2.

    Do you want to get good grades? Why or why not?

  3. 3.

    Do you have more interest, less interest, or about the same interest in school and schoolwork as lower grade students? How? Why?

  4. 4.

    In your classes, how important is it for you to do better than others? Do you think there is more or less competition than when you were in the lower grades? Why or why not?

  5. 5.

    What do you have to do to get good grades this year?

  6. 6.

    In your schoolwork this year, do you ever work at your own pace, or get to choose your assignments? If yes, how?

  7. 7.

    Do you think you should be involved in making decisions about what you learn? If yes, which decisions?

  8. 8.

    Do you feel teachers should work with you differently than in the earlier grades? What should they do differently? What should they do the same?

  9. 9.

    What are the most important things teachers could do to help you become more serious about school learning?

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Areepattamannil, S., Freeman, J.G. & Klinger, D.A. A qualitative study of Indian and Indian immigrant adolescents’ perceptions of the factors affecting their engagement and performance in school. Soc Psychol Educ 21, 383–407 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-017-9420-z

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