PATHWAYS TO ACADEMIC SUCCESS: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIO-EDUCATIONAL FACTORS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN AND CHINA

A growing body of literature focuses on students' academic outcomes, often categorized as Student Engagement (SE) and Academic Performance (AP). SE refers to students' engagement, attachment, participation, and commitment to learning activities. Student engagement was categorized into four dimensions: behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and agentic. This study drew on self-determination theory, participation-identification models, stage environment fit theory, and socio-ecological models. The researchers collected the data from N=50 registered high schools (NP=25, NC=25) in China and Pakistan. The researchers selected N=1500 (NP=750, NC=750) students from the 9th and 10th grades using multistage sampling. The study used univariate (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and bivariate (simple linear regression) analyses. Results showed that the academic classroom environment (80.2%, p=.000<.01), and goal-directedness (77.6%, p=.000<.01) had the largest magnitude and positively affected high school students' AP in China. In addition, the academic classroom environment was more influential in increasing the SE in Pakistan (60.7%, p=.000<.05) and China (73.8%, p=.000<.01). Furthermore, it was also evident that the overall engagement of students in high schools (Pakistan: 72.4%, p=.000<.05; China: 90.5%, p=.000<.01) has the highest positive effect on their academic skills. Providing an academic classroom environment, encouraging collaborative group work strategies, and emphasizing time management and short-term goal directness can help elevate students' academic outcomes in Pakistan and China.