Modeling the school engagement effect on school performance in five iberoamerican countries

Abstract

The objective of this study to understand school engagement as mediator variable between contextual factors and school achievement in students from Chile, Colombia, Spain, Perú and Uruguay. The causal model links school engagement (affective, cognitive, and behavioral) with class attendance and school performance; while also considering the indirect effect of contextual factors (family, teachers and peers). Students from primary and secondary education were evaluated, with a mean age of 14.73 years-old (SD=1.59). The sample sizes ranged between 343 and 438 participants per country. The model presented an acceptable adjustment in the five countries (RMSEA=.043-.080; CFI=.910-.961; TLI=.897-.958), with exception of the school engagement dimensions that presented significant effects on the dependent variables.