The relationship between motivational factors and engagement in an urban high school setting

2014-06-23The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ethnicity and grade level, motivational factors (instrumental motivation, reading, math, self‐efficacy/self-beliefs, learning strategies, and academic self‐concept) and learning strategies, and engagement (effort and perseverance) in a large urban high school setting. A regression analysis was conducted to determine the relationships between the variables to determine two path models, one for ethnicity as the predictor variable and one for grade level as the other predictor variable. ❧ Both ethnicity and grade level proved to be small, but significant, predictors for the motivational factors examined (instrumental motivation, reading, math, self‐efficacy/self-beliefs, and academic self‐concept), and learning strategies. The mediating variables (instrumental motivation, reading, math, self‐efficacy/self‐beliefs, learning strategies, and academic self‐concept), proved to be significant predictors for effort and perseverance while controlling for ethnicity and grade level