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An Ecological Analysis of School Engagement Among Urban, Low-Income Latino Adolescents

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Youth & Society

Published online on

Abstract

This study examined a multidimensional model of school engagement (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004) among low-income, urban Latino adolescents. Ecological theory suggests that students’ school, family, and peer contexts influence their behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Using qualitative methods of inquiry, this study examined how these various microsystemic factors influenced the school engagement of 32 Latino adolescents. Participants between 18 and 20 years of age participated in interviews focused on their retrospective experiences in high school. Participants identified school, family, and peer themes that facilitated or hindered various components of school engagement. Youth discussed how school and peer factors affected all three dimensions of school engagement, while family affected behavioral and cognitive engagement. Understanding processes involved in high school completion will aid in designing effective policies and programs to reduce dropout rates among Latino youth.