Students' multidimensional profiles of math engagement

Predictors and outcomes from a self-system motivational perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID5265502
AuthorsChyna J Miller (0000-0001-7477-3725, Department of Educational Psychology and Higher Education College of Education University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nevada USA), H Nimal Perera (0000-0002-9115-3648, Department of Educational Psychology and Higher Education College of Education University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nevada USA, corresponding author), A Maghsoudlou (0000-0002-6458-5648, Department of Educational Psychology and Higher Education College of Education University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nevada USA)
Year2021
Volume91
Issue1
Pages261-285
Publication date2021-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjep.12358
PMID32567681
OpenAlexW3036513055
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited76

BackgroundMath engagement research has been largely limited to examining the unique and additive relations of engagement dimensions with outcomes. However, an emerging perspective is that students may simultaneously invest varying degrees of their distinct energetic resources (e.g., cognitive vs. emotional) in their interactions with the math learning environment.AimsAdopting a person-centred perspective, we examined unique latent subpopulations of adolescents' multidimensional math engagement. Importantly, we did so while accounting for generality and specificity in engagement data, including general engagement and specific cognitive, emotional, and social engagement dimensions. Additionally, we examined students' math self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and gender as predictors, and math achievement indices as outcomes, of profile membership.SampleThe sample comprised 400 Australian school students taking mandatory math classes.MethodsData on students' multidimensional engagement, math self-efficacy, math outcome expectations, and demographic characteristics were collected at the beginning of the academic semester. Standardized test scores and class grades were retrieved at the end of the semester.ResultsLatent profile analyses, based on preliminary bifactor exploratory structural equation models intended to tease apart generality from specificity in engagement data, revealed 'Minimally Engaged', 'Emotionally Disengaged', and 'Moderately-to-Highly Engaged' profiles. Additionally, math self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and gender were found to predict the likelihood of profile membership. Finally, class grades, but not standardized test scores, were found to significantly differ across the profiles, accounting for prior achievement, gender, and grade level.ConclusionsThe findings replicate previous work that has shown profiles of student engagement and extend this work by (1) accounting for known generality and specificity in engagement data and (2) obtaining evidence for relations of profile membership with gender, self-beliefs, and achievement

Academic achievement · Class (philosophy) · Cognition · Developmental psychology · Generality · Mathematics education · Perspective (graphical) · Statistics · Structural equation modeling · Student engagement · Test (biology) · Early Childhood Education and Development · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation · Mathematics · Psychology · Social Psychology

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