Does Gender Matter in Secondary Students' Cognitive Engagement and Academic Achievement in China?

ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyze the relationship between student cognitive engagement and academic achievement and inquired about the moderating effects of student gender on the relationship. A cross‐sectional quantitative survey approach was conducted to do descriptive and inferential statistics. Simple random sampling was employed to select participants from secondary schools in China ( n = 341). Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to test the relationship between student cognitive engagement and academic achievement. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to find the moderating role of student gender in the relationship between the two. The findings demonstrate that cognitive engagement significantly influenced student academic achievement, but student gender did not moderate the link between the two. There are practical implications for policymakers, teachers, and stakeholders to understand the strategies for boosting student cognitive engagement to promote academic achievement. Further research is recommended to contribute more to this study area and practice, such as research by expanding samples, differentiating subjects, and using mixed methods.