Browsing by Subject "School engagement"
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Item The effect of ecological factors on school engagement(2013-08) Pettit, Sarah Michelle; Carlson, Cindy I., 1949-School engagement is associated with higher achievement and lower school drop- out rates. Teacher, peer, and parent relationships are critical in the development of school engagement. However, most researchers have looked at the effects of these relationships on school engagement in isolation. Also, few studies have looked at how the impact of these relationships on school engagement may vary as the result of school attended, age, gender, and race. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the growing body of research exploring the mechanisms that underlie the socio-emotional antecedents of school engagement. A theoretical framework for the examination of school engagement as an assessment of how well family, teacher, and peer relationships are meeting students' needs drew from Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model and Catalano and Hawkins (1996) social development model. Latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze an archival data set that included 2,217 students in grades 6 through 8 attending three public middle schools in Texas. Results indicated that reported levels of school engagement were explained primarily by peer and teacher relationships. Family context played an indirect role on school engagement, via its influence on peer and teacher relationships. Grade, gender, and race also impacted how relational factors influenced school engagement. Results highlight the importance of positive relationships with family, peers, and teachers, in increasing the development of school engagement. Results also highlight taking into account the unique needs of the student based on his or her age, gender, and ethnic background when designing interventions for school engagement.Item Facilitating school connection : the roles of relationship development and extracurricular activity participation(2010-08) Roberts, Lisa Garety; Emmer, Edmund T.; Keith, Timothy Z.; Loukas, Alexandra; Sander, Janay; Stark, KevinNumerous researchers have examined school and student variables that can prevent school failure, dropping out, and the development of delinquent behaviors. Such research suggests that students who establish a strong connection to school early in their academic career have higher academic achievement, better attendance, and more school participation (J. D. Finn, 1989, 1993; Finn & Rock, 1997; Sirin & Rogers-Sirin, 2005). However, there is little research that evaluates mechanisms that could be used to intervene when older students are on course for failure or delinquency. The current study, therefore, attempts to expand on the understanding of precipitating factors for school connection by investigating a possible link between school connection, extracurricular activity participation (EAP), and the relationships with teachers, parents, and peers promoted through activity participation. Latent variable structural equation modeling was used to investigate whether relationships with teachers, parents, and peers mediate the effects of EAP on school connection across time. Data from the base year (8th grade), first follow-up (10th grade), and second follow-up (12th grade) waves of the National Educational Longitudinal Study: 1988-2000 (NELS:88) were used. Three latent variable panel models were created and analyzed; one each for Relationships with Teachers, Relationships with Parents, and Relationships with Peers as the mediating variables. Results supported previous literature in that models reflecting a reciprocal relationship between EAP and school connection were found to have the best fit. Additionally, latent variable structural equation models were constructed to simultaneously compare the influence of EAP on the three types of relationships (i.e., with teachers, parents, and peers) and their subsequent influence on school connection. Finally, a latent variable structural equation model was constructed to explore possible differences in the type of activity in which a student participates on their relationships with others and school connection.Item Resilience in youth under investigation for maltreatment exposure : perceptions of support, monitoring and school engagement and the effects on self-reported delinquency(2015-08) Lamari-Fisher, Alexandra; Keith, Timothy, 1952-; Carlson, Cindy I; Sander, Janay B; Sherry, Alissa; Thompson, SannaIn national surveys of youth being investigated as potential victims of maltreatment, outcomes suggest that being involved with Child Protective Services (CPS), regardless of the final case determination, can be considered a risk event, changing youth’s life trajectory and increasing the likelihood of negative outcomes as they enter young adulthood. The negative outcomes these youth experience as young adults— increased risk of poverty, higher rates of mental health symptoms, higher rates of domestic violence—have been shown to be risk factors associated with becoming a perpetrator of child maltreatment. Applying a resiliency framework to the issue of maltreatment shifts the focus from psychopathology to positive adaptations despite risk exposure. The building blocks of the resiliency framework are protective mechanisms, variables that can shift a potentially negative life trajectory by promoting positive adaptations in three core areas of competencies: social, academic and conduct. This study was designed to examine the potential protective effects of perceived support by a caregiver, perceived monitoring, and school engagement, using delinquency as a measure of conduct competence. Support by caregiver is defined by qualities such as warmth and security, as well as supporting adolescent autonomy development. Previous research has shown that for most adolescents a positive, supportive relationship with a caregiver serves as a protective mechanism reducing the likelihood of engagement in delinquent acts. Research has shown that adolescents who are actively monitored by adult caregivers are less likely to experience negative outcomes. School engagement has more mixed results depending on the underlying components examined and the population being studied. A latent variable structural equation model (SEM) was developed and tested using a sample of 1054 youth aged 11 to 17 who were involved with Child Protective Services. Participants were drawn from the National Survey for Child and Adolescent Well-Being II (NSCAW-II). The SEM model tested the direct effects of the latent variables of perceived support, perceived monitoring, and school engagement, as measured at baseline, on overall delinquency and on subtypes of delinquency 18 months later. Results of the study suggested that higher levels of perceived support by a caregiver led to reduced reports of subsequent minor offenses. Youth who reported higher levels of monitoring by caregivers at baseline reported higher levels of offenses against persons and minor offenses 18 months later. Conversely, youth who reported higher levels of school engagement at baseline reported significantly lower levels of offenses against people and property and fewer minor offenses 18 months later. Results of this study highlight the important role schools play as a resource for at-risk youth, supporting positive adaptation. The unexpected outcomes associated with monitoring imply how and when monitoring is measured can affect delinquency.Item When does school engagement matter most? : examining the reciprocal association between school engagement and delinquency across time(2011-08) Mauseth, Tory Ann; Sander, Janay Boswell; Cawthon, StephanieResearch indicates that school engagement (SE) and delinquency affect one another and share numerous common causes; however, little literature exists regarding the temporal nature of this relationship. Using the data set from the Children and Young Adult Sample of the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the proposed study will estimate the reciprocal effects of SE and delinquency across time using latent variable structural equation modeling. Specifically, social bonding theory (Hirschi, 2002), strain theory (Agnew, 1992), and the participation-identification model of SE (Finn, 1989), will be drawn upon to create and analyze a cross-lagged panel model. Additionally, this study will identify ages during which school disengagement is most likely to result in participation in delinquent activities.