Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Multiple Contexts of School Engagement: Moving Toward a Unifying Framework for Educational Research and Practice

  • Special Topic Article
  • Published:
The California School Psychologist Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article discusses the school engagement literature and offers a conceptual framework with the intention of developing a common terminology to more efficiently organize research and practice. Three distinct perspectives are outlined in relation to school engagement: psychological, educational, and developmental. Four main contexts of school-based engagement are identified, including the student, peers, classroom, and the school environment. Although some researchers have focused on students at risk for negative developmental outcomes, the proposed model postulates that all youth benefit from school engagement. Overall, the intent of this new framework is to support efforts to promote positive student outcomes, increase psychosocial competence and efficacy, and promote life-long learning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbott, R. D., O’Donnell, J., Hawkins, J. D., Hill, K. G., Kosterman, R., & Catalano, R. F. (1998). Changing teaching practices to promote achievement and bonding to school. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68, 542–552.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderman, L. H., & Anderman, E. M. (1999). Social predictors of changes in students’ achievement goal orientations. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 21–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Battistich, V., Solomon, D., & Delucchi, K. (1993). Interaction processes and student outcomes in cooperative learning groups. Elementary School Journal, 94, 19–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, M., & Schaps, E. (1997). Caring school communities. Educational Psychologist, 32, 137–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bryk, A. S., & Thum, Y. M. (1989). The effects of high school organization on dropping out: An exploratory investigation. American Educational Research Journal, 26, 353–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bullis, M., & Yovanoff, P. (2002). Those who do not return: Correlates of the work and school engagement of formerly incarcerated youth who remaining the community. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 10, 66–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cadwallader, T. W., Farmer, T. W., Cairns, B. D., Leung, M., Clemmer, J. T., Gut, D. M., & Reese. L. E. (2002). The social relations of rural African American early adolescents and proximal impact of the school engagement project. Journal of School Psychology, 40, 239–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. F., Kosterman, R., Hawkins, J. D., Newcomb, M. D., & Abbott, R. D. (1996). Modeling the etiology of adolescent substance use: A test of the social development model. Journal of Drug Issues, 26, 429–155.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cernkovich, S. A., & Giordano, P. C. (1992). School bonding, race, and delinquency. Criminology, 30, 261–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, M., & Cole, S.R. (1996). The development of children (3rd ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conchas, G. Q. (2001). Structuring failure and success: Understanding the variability in Latino school engagement. Harvard Educational Review, 71, 475–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costenbader, V., & Markson, S. (1997). School suspension: A study with secondary school students. Journal of School Psychology, 36, 50–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A., Midgley, C., Reuman, D., MacIver, D., & Feldlaufer, H. (1993). Negative effects of traditional middle schools on students’ motivation. The Elementary School Journal, 93, 553–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eggert, L. L., Thompson, E. A., Herting, J. R., Nicholas, L. J., & Dicker, B. G. (1994). Preventing adolescent drug abuse and high school dropout through an intensive school-based social network development program. American Journal of Health Promotion, 8, 202–215.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finn, J. D. (1989). Withdrawing from school. Review of Educational Research, 59, 117–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finn, J. D. (1993). School engagement and students at risk. Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finn, J. D., & Rock, D. A. (1997). Academic success among students at risk for school failure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 221–235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finn, J. D., & Voelkl, K. E. (1993). School characteristics related to student engagement. The Journal of Negro Education, 62, 249–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredericks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P., & Paris, A. H. (under review). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence.

  • Furrer, C., & Skinner, E. (2003). Sense of relatedness as a factor in children’s academic engagement and performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 148–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodenow, C. (1993). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement. Journal of Early Adolescence, 13, 21–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodenow, C., & Grady, K. E. (1993). The relationship of school belonging and friends’ values to academic motivation among urban adolescent students. Journal of Experimental Education, 62, 60–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goto, S. T. (1997). Nerds, normal people, and homeboys: Accommodation and resistance among Chinese America students. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 28, 70–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, G. D., & Gottfredson, D. C. (1999). Technical manual for research editions of What About You (WAY). Ellicott City, MD: Gottfredson Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, M., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guay, F., Marsh, H. W., & Boivin, M. (2003). Academic self-concept and academic achievement: developmental perspectives on their causal ordering. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 124–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, J., Hawkins, J. D., Hill, K. G., & Abbott, R. D. (2001). Childhood and adolescent predictors of alcohol abuse and dependence in young adulthood. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62, 754–762.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (1998). The development of self-representations. In W. Damon (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (5th ed., Vol. 3). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64–105.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Guo, J., Hill, K. G., Battin-Pearson, S., & Abbott, R. D. (2001). Long-term effects of the Seattle Social Development Intervention on school bonding trajectories. Applied Developmental Science, 5, 225–236.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoppe, M. J., Wells, E. A., Haggerty, K. P., Simpson, E. E., Gainey, R. R., & Catalano, R. (1998). Bonding in a high-risk and a general sample of children: Comparison of measures of attachment and their relationship to smoking and drinking. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27, 59–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., Dudley, B., & Magnuson, D. (1995). Training elementary school students to manage conflict. Journal of Social Psychology, 135, 673–686.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jules, V. (1991). Interaction dynamics of cooperative learning groups in Trinidad’s secondary schools. Adolescence, 26, 931–949.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karchur, M. J. (2002). The cycle of violence and disconnection among rural middle school students: Teacher disconnection as a consequence of violence. Journal of School Violence, 1, 35–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamborn, S. D., Brown, B. B., Mounts, N. S., & Steinberg, L. (1992). Putting school in perspective: The influence of family, peers, extracurricular participation, and part–time work on academic engagement. In F. M. Newmann (Ed.), Student engagement and achievement in American secondary schools (pp. 153–181). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leone, P. E., & Mayer, M. J. (in press). Safety, diversity, and disability: Goodness of fit and the complexities of the school environment. In M. J. Furlong, M. P. Bates, D. C. Smith, & P. E. Kingery (Eds.). Appraisal and prediction of school violence: Methods, issues, and contexts. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

  • Lindsay, P. (1982). The effect of high school size on student participation, satisfaction, and attendance. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 4, 57–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddox, S. J., & Prinz, R. J. (2003). School bonding in children and adolescents: Conceptualization, assessment, and associated variables. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review, 6, 31–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. (1990). Causal ordering of academic self-concept and academic achievement: A multiwave, longitudinal panel analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 646–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNeely, C. A., Nonnemaker, J. M., & Blum, R. W. (2002). Promoting school connectedness: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Journal of School Health, 72, 138–160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meece, J. L. (2002). Child & adolescent development for educators (2nd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, G. M., Anthony, S. A., Storino, M., & Dillon, C. (2001). An examination of the disciplinary histories of the individual and educational characteristics of students who participate in an in-school suspension program. Education and Treatment of Children, 24, 276–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, G. M., Robertson, L., Laurie, B., & Kelly, J. (2002). Protective factors related to antisocial behavior trajectories. Journal of Clinical Psychology (Special Issue: A second generation of resilience research), 58, 277–290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mylant, M., Ide, B., Cuevas, E., & Meehan, M. (2002). Adolescent children of alcoholics: Vulnerable or resilient? Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 8, 57–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newmann, F. M., Wehlage, C. G., & Lamborn, S. D. (1992). The significance and sources of student engagement. In F. M. Newmann (Ed.), Student engagement and achievement in American secondary schools (pp. 11–39). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osterman, K. F. (2000). Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 70, 323–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pellegrini, A. D., & Bartini, M. (2000). A longitudinal study of bullying, victimization, and peer affiliation during the transition from primary school to middle school. American Educational Research Journal, 37, 699–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Resnick, M. D., Bearman, P. S., Blum, R. W., Bauman, K. E., Harris, K. M., Jones, J., Tabor, J., Beuhring, T., Sieving, R. E., Shew, M., Ireland, M., Bearinger, L. H., & Udry, J. R. (1997). Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 823–832.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roeser, R. W., Midgley, C., & Urdan, T. C. (1996). Perceptions of the school psychological environment and early adolescents’ psychological and behavioral functioning in school: The mediating role of goals and belonging. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, 408–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, A. M., & Patrick, H. (2001). The classroom social environment and changes in adolescents’ motivation and engagement during middle school. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 437–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandhu, D. S., Arora, M., & Sandhu, V. S. (2001). School violence: Risk factors, psychological correlates, prevention and intervention strategies. In D. S. Sandhu (Ed.), Faces of violence: Psychological correlates, concepts, and intervention strategies (pp. 45–71). Huntington, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinclair, M. F., Christenson, S. L., Elevo, D. L., & Hurley, C. M. (1998). Dropout prevention for youth with disabilities: Efficacy of a sustained school engagement procedure. Exceptional Children, 65, 7–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skiba, R., & Peterson, R. (1999). The dark side of zero tolerance: Can punishment lead to safe schools? Phi Delta Kappan, January, 372-76, 381–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, D., Watson, M., Battictich, V., Schaps, E., & Delucchi, K. (1997). Creating classrooms that students that student experience as communities. American Journal of Community Psychology, 24, 719–748.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 797–811.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Urdan, T. C., & Maehr, M. L. (1995). Beyond a two–goal theory of motivation and achievement: A case for social goals. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 22, 165–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, H. M., Stieber, S., Ramsey, E., & O’Neill, R. (1993). Fifth-grade school adjustment and later arrest rate: A longitudinal study of middle school antisocial boys. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 2, 295–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, M., Solomon, D., Battistich, V., Schaps, E., & Soloman, J. (1989). The Child Development Project: Combining traditional and developmental approaches to values education. In L. Nucci (Ed.), Moral development and character education (pp. 51–92). Berkeley, CA: McCutchan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wehlage, G. G., & Rutter, R. A. (1986). Dropping out: How much do schools contribute to the problem? Teachers College Record, 87, 374–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R. (1991). Relations between social competence and academic achievement in early adolescence. Child Development 62, 1066–1078.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R. (1994). Relations of social goal pursuit to social acceptance, classroom behavior, and perceived social support. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 173–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R. (1997). Student motivation in middle school: The role of perceived pedagogical caring. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 411–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R. (1998). Social relationships and motivation in middle school: The role of parents, teachers, and peers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 202–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R., & Asher, S. R. (1995). The academic lives of neglected, rejected, popular, and controversial children. Child Development, 66, 754–763.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R., & Caldwell, K. (1997). Friendships, peer acceptance, and group membership: Relations to academic achievement in middle school. Child Development, 68, 1198–1209.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for School-Based Youth Development, University of California Santa Barbara, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education (GGSE), Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Michael J. Furlong, Angela D. Whipple, Grace St. Jean, Jenne Simental, Alicia Soliz & Sandy Punthuna

Authors
  1. Michael J. Furlong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Angela D. Whipple
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Grace St. Jean
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jenne Simental
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Alicia Soliz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Sandy Punthuna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Furlong.

Additional information

Work on this manuscript was supported by a grant from the Don and Marilyn Gevirtz GGSE Funds for Excellence Initiative.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Furlong, M.J., Whipple, A.D., St. Jean, G. et al. Multiple Contexts of School Engagement: Moving Toward a Unifying Framework for Educational Research and Practice. Contemp School Psychol 8, 99–113 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340899

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340899

Keywords

Search

Navigation