Engaging students in school: Two studies on the benefits of social support and high self-beliefs

The Self-System Model of Motivational Development (SSMMD) posits that contextual supports and self-beliefs shape students' school engagement, which in turn predicts educational outcomes. This research examined (1) the interplay of social support, academic self-concept and with school engagement change in late adolescence, and (2) the interplay of socio-motivational support, academic self-concept, and need satisfaction with change in school engagement in middle adolescence. Study 1 used data from 3585 Finnish students ( M ageT1 = 15.55, SD = 2.46; 53.6 % girls). Study 2 analyzed data from 779 German students ( M ageT1 = 13.09, SD = 0.50; 57 % girls). Latent Change Modelling (LCM) evidences a decline in school engagement, associated with math self-concept and teacher support (Study 1), and academic self-concept (Study 2). School engagement predicted school completion (Study 1). The studies provide converging evidence for developmental patterns, predicted by SSMMD and highlight the role of academic self-concept and teacher-student relations for school engagement. The findings from the two studies outline several implications for educational practice and policy. In line with the theoretical perspective outlined by SSMMD, interventions aimed at fostering school engagement before critical school transitions should address both contextual and self-related factors. The results of Study 1 show, that especially in upper secondary education, teacher support may be more beneficial for proximal engagement rather than sustaining longer-term changes in the intensity of student's involvement with school and need to be complemented by academic self-concept interventions. Also, it is particularly important to strengthen domain-specific mathematic self-concepts of students, that emphasizes the role of STEM and teaching methods used in STEM in upper secondary schools. In other words, professional development should equip teachers not only with good communication and motivation skills, but also with skills that would enable them to create academic self-concept-supportive environments while addressing students' individual needs. The converging evidence from Study 2 shows that decline in school engagement is likely to occur throughout all stages of adolescence and in both cultural contexts, but interventions may need to de tailored to the particular developmental stages, and address different facets of academic self-concept. Overall, the nuanced roles of social support and academic self-concept suggest that individualized support and reinforcement of self-beliefs are essential for optimizing educational outcomes during critical school transitions. • Academic self-concept in math helps sustain engagement in late adolescence. • Teacher support paradoxically linked to greater engagement decline over time. • School engagement predicts graduation, but not academic achievement. • Education systems shape school engagement differently across countries.