Perceptions regarding primary and secondary school students' engagement in school learning: A multi-informant approach

Abstract

A current challenge for primary and secondary education schools is to develop practices that promote greater engagement of students in their learning. Personalized learning responds to this challenge by placing the learner at the centre of teaching and learning processes. Within this framework the present study adopts a multi-informant approach so as to compare the perceptions of teachers, students and their parents regarding the level of engagement in school activities and learning, and on the factors that promote it, while also exploring whether these perceptions are influenced by certain characteristics of schools. To this end, we developed three versions of a questionnaire (one for each kind of informant) and applied it across a total of 14 schools (258 teachers, 2731 students and 718 parents). Sampling of schools was intentional, seeking variation in the following aspects: educational stage taught, type of school, size, socioeconomic context and the school’s educational philosophy. Analysis of questionnaire responses revealed significant differences between the three groups in their perception of student engagement, as well as regarding the factors that promote it. There was no consistent pattern as to the characteristics of schools that may influence these perceptions. These results underline the need to design support processes for teachers, students and parents that take into account their different perspectives and guide them towards a shared vision of new educational practices based on personalized learning.