Drews, Ruby (2022) Turning Up but Are They Tuning In? Understanding Adolescence (Dis)engagement in Education. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Student engagement is a significant aspect of contemporary secondary educational settings and is thought to have great potential for the creation of school-based interventions aimed at fostering academic achievement and lowering dropout rates. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) considers our basic psychological needs and the type and level of an individual’s motivation to perform certain behaviours based on the extent to which the reasons for their motivations are externally or internally oriented. As such, SDT provides a strong theoretical framework to investigate student engagement. Consequently, this qualitative study is aimed at better understanding specific impacts of engagement and disengagement in an Australian regional high school context. Data was collected through focus groups with participants (N = 19) between the ages of 12 to 16 in independent grades of 7, 8, 10 and 11. Data were analysed through thematic analysis and five main themes were generated: sense of belonging, teacher approach to pedagogy, psychological and academic student support, volition in subject selection and future vocational aspirations. Due to the participants' varying ages and developmental stages, the focus groups' perspectives on these themes varied in maturity and insight. The current findings provide deeper insights into factors that directly impact on student engagement which will help Australian regional schools in formalising strategies to enhance educational practices and policies.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Sonya Winterbotham; Lorelle Burton |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 28 May 2025 01:46 |
| Last Modified: | 28 May 2025 01:46 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | student engagement; student disengagement; Self- Determination Theory; sense of belonging; thematic analysis |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52286 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
