Student Engagement Among High School English Learners

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Mentoring Approaches in Preparing Our Youth and Young Adults for the Future

Abstract

This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of Check & Connect (Christenson, Stout, & Pohl, 2012) on student engagement outcomes for 358 high school English learners at risk for school dropout. Students’ self-reports of engagement, attendance, and interview data were used to better understand the impact of the intervention and to explore the perspectives of students on their schooling and engagement. Overall, the students in the intervention did not perform significantly higher than students in the comparison condition on self-reported student engagement, attendance, behavior, or grades. Additionally, students’ self-reports of engagement were not corroborated by their actual attendance, grades, and interviews. Students valued the mentors implementing Check & Connect but requested more attention academically and personally from their teachers.

Authors

• Leticia Martinez, The University of Texas at Austin

• Kelly Jean Williams, Indiana University - Bloomington

• Anna-Maria Fall, The University of Texas at Austin