Secondary School Students’ Engagement in Learning Activities: Validation of a Short Scale

Student engagement is a multidimensional construct strongly associated with learning outcomes and academic success. However, its measurement remains challenging, as existing instruments often conflate engagement in learning activities with engagement in the school community. In addition, brief measures are scarce despite their increasing value, and most available instruments do not incorporate agentic engagement. Assessing student engagement in learning activities is, therefore, crucial for monitoring academic progress, identifying students at risk of dropping out, and predicting academic success. This study aimed to validate the 12-item Secondary School Student Engagement in Learning Activities: Short Scale, adapted from a higher education measure, which focuses solely on student engagement in learning activities and comprises four dimensions: cognitive, affective, behavioral, and agentic engagement. The validation study involved 566 students, 61.7% from middle school and 38.3% from high school. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor structure that was found in the original scale. Subsequent analyses also demonstrated the scale’s reliability, convergent, discriminant, concurrent, and predictive validity, and measurement invariance. The study discusses the benefits and implications of utilizing this measure, offering a promising tool for evaluating student engagement and learning outcomes in secondary student populations.