Academic performance and school engagement among secondary school students in accordance with place of birth, gender and age

  1. Goñi, Eider 1
  2. Ros, Iker 1
  3. Fernández-Lasarte, Oihane 1
  1. 1 Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
    info

    Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

    Lejona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/000xsnr85

Journal:
European journal of education and psychology

ISSN: 1888-8992 1989-2209

Year of publication: 2018

Volume: 11

Issue: 2

Pages: 93-105

Type: Article

DOI: 10.30552/EJEP.V11I2.224 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

More publications in: European journal of education and psychology

Abstract

One of the most pressing concerns today in our society is how to ensure that students are able to adapt to the ever-changing context in which they live, and one of the ways of achieving this is to ensure good school adjustment. This study analyzes whether this adjustment is influenced by students (and their parents) place of birth, gender and age. The sample group comprised 828 secondary school students (Mean age=14.83; SD=1.81) from the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (BC) in Spain. The results indicate that students born in the BC to native parents have higher levels of affective engagement and achieve better academic results; however, contrary to expectation, not all natives born to immigrant parents were found to score higher for the different dimensions of school adjustment than those born outside the BC. Also, in general, girls were found to have a higher level of adjustment than boys, and students in the last two years of secondary school had lower levels of performance and engagement than both those in the first two years of secondary school and those in higher education. These results are then discussed in the final part of the paper.

Funding information

The authors of this study form part of the Consolidated Research Group IT934-16, within the Basque University System. The study itself forms part of the PPG17/61and EHUA15/15 research projects run by the University of the Basque Country.

Funders

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