Trajectories and Patterns of Student Engagement: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study

Longitudinal study of student engagement patterns is relatively rare but sheds useful light on the factors that contribute to different levels of student engagement in school and its role in student achievement. This chapter uses data from a New Zealand study to focus on changes in ­student engagement patterns between the ages of 10 and 16, to show (a) the range of individual trajectories of student engagement that lie behind overall declines, and (b) how these different trajectories are related to differences in competency levels and to activities and relationships outside school in ways that compound the patterns of engagement in learning in the school environment and vice versa. Looking at student engagement longitudinally raises the question of whether decline in student engagement levels overall is related to transitions between schools or occurs more as part of general human development that may be better supported by different learning opportunities than schools currently provide. The chapter ends with the case for more longitudinal research into the nature and role of student engagement across different schooling contexts.