Engagement and disaffection in the classroom: Part of a larger motivational dynamic?

TLDR

A model of motivational development guided a study of 805 4th‑7th graders, examining the internal dynamics of four engagement/disaffection indicators and the facilitative effects of teacher support and student self‑perceptions (competence, autonomy, relatedness) on changes over the school year. Emotional engagement significantly predicted behavioral engagement changes, while teacher support and especially autonomy predicted increases in engagement and decreases in disaffection, with teacher effects mediated by students' self‑perceptions, highlighting distinct indicators and facilitators of engagement and the dynamics between emotion, behavior, and social context.

Abstract

A study of 805 4th through 7th graders used a model of motivational development to guide the investigation of the internal dynamics of 4 indicators of behavioral and emotional engagement and disaffection and the facilitative effects of teacher support and 3 student self-perceptions (competence, autonomy, and relatedness) on changes in these indicators over the school year. In terms of internal dynamics, emotional components of engagement contributed significantly to changes in their behavioral counterparts; feedback from behavior to changes in emotion were not as consistent. Teacher support and students' self-perceptions (especially autonomy) contributed to changes in behavioral components: Each predicted increases in engagement and decreases in disaffection. Tests of process models revealed that the effects of teacher context were mediated by children's self-perceptions. Taken together, these findings suggest a clear distinction between indicators and facilitators of engagement and begin to articulate the dynamics between emotion and behavior that take place inside engagement and the motivational dynamics that take place outside of engagement, involving the social context, self-systems, and engagement itself.