The Collective Effects of Daily Social Support on Adolescent School Engagement: A Dynamic SEM Approach

• In Event: Learning Environments and Academic Growth in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

This study examines how daily support from parents, peers, and teachers influences adolescents’ school engagement using Bayesian Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling (DSEM). Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model and Skinner et al.’s theory of collective effects, we test coactive, contingent, and sequential mechanisms of support. Using intensive daily diary data from 852 adolescents across three 15-day bursts, results show that all three sources of support independently predict same-day and next-day engagement (coactive). Minimal contingent effects were found, but significant sequential effects emerged, with parent and teacher support indirectly influencing engagement via peer support. Findings underscore the dynamic and interdependent nature of adolescents’ social ecologies and offer new insights into promoting school engagement in everyday contexts.

Authors

• Suyoung Kim, University of Chicago

• Jiwon Kim, Northwestern University