ENHANCING SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT THROUGH PEER MENTORSHIP: THE MODERATING ROLES OF AGE AND GENDER IN LOW SOCIO-ECONOMIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Education remains a vital driver of social mobility, yet students from low socio-economic backgrounds in Nigeria continue to face barriers that undermine their engagement and academic potential. This study investigated the impact of a peer mentorship programme on school engagement among secondary school students in the Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. Using a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design, 65 students were purposively selected from two government-owned schools and assigned to experimental and control groups. Engagement was measured with the Student Engagement in Schools Questionnaire (SESQ) alongside qualitative interviews and focus group discussions. Results from ANCOVA revealed that the mentorship programme significantly improved engagement, accounting for 25% of the variance in posttest scores (η²p = .25, p < .001). Gender moderated the intervention effect, with males recording greater gains than females, while age differences were non-significant. Qualitative insights highlighted themes of accountability, motivation, extracurricular participation, and social connectedness as key mechanisms of change. The findings support Social Learning Theory and relational trust perspectives, demonstrating that peer mentorship strengthens behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement by fostering a sense of belonging and self-efficacy. While challenges such as scheduling and mentor preparation were noted, the study underscores the potential of structured peer mentorship to complement existing interventions and promote equity in low-resource educational contexts.