Level of School Engagement among Students: A Comparative Study between Private and Public School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/star.v9i4.03Keywords:
Differences, engagement, gender difference, private school, public schoolAbstract
Student engagement is critical to educational success and can be influenced by various factors, such as school characteristics. This study aimed to examine the differences in school engagement among students attending private and public secondary schools. A cross-sectional survey design with validated measures was used to collect data from a random sample of participants. This study included 650 students from both private and public secondary schools. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings showed that both private and public school students had high levels of school engagement. However, students attending private schools showed significantly higher levels of emotion, cognition, behaviour, and overall engagement than their counterparts attending public schools. Additionally, female students demonstrated greater emotional engagement than male students, while no significant gender variations were observed in the levels of cognitive, behavioural, or overall school engagement. Addressing differences in school engagement requires the joint effort of various stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, and the greater community. This collaboration is important because school engagement significantly affects students’ academic achievement, social outcomes, and overall success.
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