A Multilevel Latent Class Analysis of Different Kinds of Engagement-Focused Schools

• In Event: 79.018 - The Role of Peers and Social Networks in Human Development

Abstract

In this study, the authors use Multi-Level Latent Class Analysis (MLLCA) to explore how student engagement clusters at the school-level to create different kinds of engagement-oriented schools. This unique, social-ecological view of student engagement builds from prior research which modeled different profiles of students’ behavioral engagement patterns at home, school, and community as well as different profiles of student engagement dispositions. Our MLLCA models yielded five characteristically distinct school-level engagement profiles. These profiles included schools with more optimal engagement configurations, as well as schools where engagement appeared highly variable and, at times, sub-optimal. Ultimately, the findings contribute to evidence suggesting that educational research, policy, and practice should better attend to the particularities of both person and place.

Authors

• Michael A. Lawson, University of Alabama

• Katherine E. Masyn, Georgia State University