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Academic Achievement in the High School Years: The Changing Role of School Engagement

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Abstract

School engagement is an important theoretical and practical cornerstone to the promotion of academic accomplishments. This article used a tripartite—behavioral, emotional, and cognitive—model of school engagement to assess the relationship between school engagement and academic success among high school students, and to determine whether a reciprocal relationship exists between these constructs. Data were derived from 710 youth (69 % female) who took part in Waves 6 through 8 (Grades 10 through 12) of the 4-H study of positive youth development. Longitudinal confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the invariance of the tripartite model of school engagement. Results of a structural equation model showed that the components of school engagement and academic achievement were mutually predictive and that these predictions varied from grade to grade. Future possibilities for evaluating the relationship between school engagement and academic achievement, as well as the implications for educational policy and practice, are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by grants from the National 4-H Council, the Altria Corporation, the Thrive Foundation for Youth, and the John Templeton Foundation.

Authors’ contributions

Paul A. Chase participated in the study’s design and coordination, performed the statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; Lacey J. Hilliard participated in the coordination and editing of the manuscript; G. John Geldhof participated in the design and interpretation of the data analyses; Daniel J. A. Warren participated in the coordination and editing of the manuscript; Richard M. Lerner conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, 301 Lincoln Filene Building, Medford, MA, 02155, USA

    Paul A. Chase, Lacey J. Hilliard, Daniel J. A. Warren & Richard M. Lerner

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

    G. John Geldhof

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  1. Paul A. Chase
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  2. Lacey J. Hilliard
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Correspondence to Richard M. Lerner.

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Chase, P.A., Hilliard, L.J., John Geldhof, G. et al. Academic Achievement in the High School Years: The Changing Role of School Engagement. J Youth Adolescence 43, 884–896 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-0085-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-0085-4

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