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Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems and Student Engagement in Elementary and Secondary School Students.
Elizabeth Olivier1, Alexandre J S Morin2, Jessika Langlois3
1Substantive-Methodological Synergy Research Laboratory, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada. elizabeth.abby.olivier@gmail.com.
Externalizing behaviors consistently reduce student engagement across childhood and adolescence. However, the impact of internalizing behaviors on engagement grows with age, particularly for older students.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Background:
- Students with externalizing or internalizing behavior problems face higher risks of academic underachievement and school dropout.
- Lower school engagement is a key factor contributing to these negative outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between behavior problems and school engagement in childhood and adolescence.
- To differentiate the impact of global and specific behavior problems on various engagement aspects (behavioral, emotional, cognitive).
Main Methods:
- Two studies analyzed data from elementary (Study 1) and secondary school students (Study 2).
- Bifactor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and path analyses were employed to assess relationships.
Main Results:
- Externalizing behaviors were linked to reduced behavioral engagement in both global and specific aspects.
- Internalizing behaviors showed varied associations: in elementary students, global internalizing behaviors affected cognitive engagement, and anxiety affected emotional engagement.
- In secondary students, depressive symptoms impacted emotional engagement.
Conclusions:
- Externalizing behaviors are persistent risk factors for student disengagement throughout schooling.
- The influence of internalizing behaviors as a risk factor for disengagement increases with age, becoming more prominent in adolescence.
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