School engagement and rights-respecting schools

Abstract

Disengagement in school is associated with behavioral problems and decreased academic achievement. In contrast, pupils who are engaged in school develop the academic and social efficacies that underlie successful adulthood. Moreover, engagement promotes educational resilience. This study examines pupils' self-reported level of engagement in schools that are explicitly respecting of children's rights compared with pupils in traditional schools. The Young Students' Engagement in School Scale was developed and used with 1289 9- to 11-year-olds from 18 schools, six of which had fully implemented the Hampshire Education Authority's Rights Respect and Responsibility (RRR) Initiative. Factor analysis indicated four dimensions of engagement: rights-respecting climate; interpersonal harmony; academic orientation; and participation. Pupils in RRR schools had higher scores on all but the academic dimension. The findings suggest the potential of rights-respecting schools in promoting engagement and the potential utility of the measure in identifying areas in which pupils' engagement may need intervention.