Trajectories of second language student classroom engagement: Profiles and correlates

Abstract

Background: Research on the development of second language (L2) student classroom engagement is growing; however, this body of research primarily relies on designs that preclude the examination of whether this development is common to all students or whether different developmental trajectories emerge for different groups. Aim: Adopting a person-centred longitudinal approach and using growth mixture modelling, this study aims to discover distinct groups of students with varied trajectories of L2 classroom engagement over their first semester at university and to examine how these profiles of engagement trajectories shape and are shaped by classroom dynamics. Sample: Data were collected from 497 English as a foreign language learners in Vietnam across three time points over a 10-week semester. Method: A person-centred longitudinal design was employed, with growth mixture modelling used to identify distinct engagement trajectory groups and to examine their associations with classroom dynamics. Results: Four distinct groups of engagement trajectories were identified: a high initial–slight increase, a high initial–stable, a moderate initial–slight decrease and a moderate initial–steep decrease group. Students who reported higher levels of perceived teacher sensitivity were more likely to be in the high initial–slight increase group than in any other groups, whereas students in the moderate initial–slight decrease group showed the lowest levels of positive classroom affect and the highest levels of negative classroom affect. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of designing engagement support programs tailored to the needs of different groups of students, recognising the varied developmental trajectories of L2 student classroom engagement.