Social Support and Academic Engagement Among Reconnected Youth: Adverse Life Experiences as a Moderator

Abstract

Using motivational theories of engagement and adopting a multidimensional perspective of academic engagement, the authors investigate the associations among teacher and parent support, students’ academic self-efficacy, and academic engagement among a sample of reconnected youth who have returned to academic pursuit after dropping out (N = 938, mean age = 16.50, SD = 1.78). In addition, they examine how youth's adverse life experiences moderate the pathways in this model, an analysis notably missing from much of the academic engagement literature. They find that students’ academic self-efficacy mediates parent and teacher support and youth academic engagement. Moreover, participants’ adverse life experiences moderate the connections among perceived support from parents, academic self-efficacy, and academic engagement. Implications for practice and future directions are discussed.