ERIC Number: EJ1253725
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jun
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1866-2625
EISSN: N/A
Self-Perceptions and Engagement in Low-Socioeconomic Elementary School Students: The Moderating Effects of Immigration Status and Anxiety
Kurdi, Vanessa; Archambault, Isabelle
School Mental Health, v12 n2 p400-416 Jun 2020
According to Connell and Wellborn's Self-System Model of Motivational Development (SSMMD; Self processes and development, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, pp 43-77, 1991), school engagement is fostered by students' perception that their needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness are fulfilled. The universal claim of this model has rarely been tested across groups of students with diverse immigration backgrounds, socioeconomic status, or emotional problems such as anxiety. To fill this gap, we conducted a longitudinal study to examine the associations between, on the one hand, student self-perceptions of competence in mathematics, of autonomy and of relatedness, and on the other hand, their behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement. We further tested whether immigration status and anxiety moderated these associations. The study involved 170 elementary school students from disadvantaged multiethnic schools. Results demonstrated that high relatedness was associated with affective engagement in all students. Furthermore, the links between students' engagement and their self-perceptions of autonomy and competence in mathematics varied according to their immigration status and anxiety level. For instance, most of the results showed that immigrant students presenting a high level of anxiety reported being more engaged than other students when they felt autonomous. Finally, the results showed that self-perceptions were not associated with all dimensions of school engagement in all students. These findings challenge the universality of the SSMMD and provide new evidence supporting the necessity of adapting interventions to fulfill psychological needs and promote engagement among vulnerable students.
Descriptors: Learner Engagement, Low Income Students, Elementary School Students, Immigration, Anxiety, Psychological Needs, Affective Behavior, Self Efficacy, Disadvantaged Schools, Personal Autonomy, Interpersonal Relationship, At Risk Students, Socioeconomic Status, Student Characteristics, Mathematics Skills
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A