Academic success among students at risk for school failure

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Sociology of Education
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Minority students from low-income homes often face educational challenges.
• Academic resilience is crucial for educational success, but its components require further investigation.
• Understanding factors contributing to academic resilience can inform targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of student engagement in academic resilience among minority students.
• To compare psychological characteristics and school engagement across different academic outcomes.
• To identify potential targets for interventions aimed at improving educational prognoses for at-risk students.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 1,803 minority students from low-income backgrounds was analyzed.
• Students were classified into three groups: resilient completers, nonresilient completers, and dropouts, based on grades, test scores, and persistence.
• Psychological characteristics and school engagement measures were compared across groups, with statistical controls for background factors.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in engagement behaviors were observed among the three student groups.
• These differences in engagement persisted even after controlling for background and psychological characteristics.
• Student engagement emerged as a significant predictor of academic resilience.

Conclusions:

• Student engagement is a critical component of academic resilience.
• Findings support the hypothesis that active engagement in school contributes to successful academic completion.
• The results provide valuable insights for developing interventions to enhance the educational outcomes of students at risk.