Voices of Adolescents on School Engagement

A limited number of empirical studies have been conducted to explore how students perceive school engagement and the factors influencing their engagement in school, particularly amongst Asian students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand school engagement from the perspectives of twenty-two secondary school students through two group interviews. Analysis was conducted using thematic analysis yielding themes based on deductive reasoning. Findings showed that the concept of school engagement was complex with relationships with peers and teachers emerging as the most dominant theme. The second most prominent theme was school participation and rules, followed by academic pursuits. The theme of school-contextual factors also emerged. Interestingly, a negative valence to school engagement was found. The findings of this study have the potential to inform researchers and practitioners in the on-going efforts to examine the concept of school engagement to further improve school system wide practices.