Academic Resilience and Motivation as Correlates of Academic Engagement among Form Three Students in Meru County, Kenya
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Date
2024-03
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Academic engagement refers to the energy which the student employs within his/her
learning community. It emphasizes on the good characteristics of students that are
associated with academic performance, retention in school, and completion. Strikes,
property damage, absenteeism, and school dropouts in Meru County may be signs of
lack of academic engagement. The study’s objectives focussed on establishing the
correlation between academic resilience, motivation and academic engagement and
determining the degree to which academic motivation and resilience predict academic
engagement. It also sought to determine whether there were any differences in gender
based on academic resilience and motivation. The study’s theoretical basis was
formed by self-determination (Deci & Ryan 1985) and ecological systems
(Bronfenbrenner, 1979) theories. It employed a predictive correlational study design.
A sample constituting of 341 students (boys = 180 and girls = 161) from the
population of form three students attending public schools in Imenti North Sub County, Meru County, was chosen. The sampling techniques employed to select the
schools include stratified and purposive. The participants from the sampled schools
were selected proportionately and randomly. An adapted questionnaire which
composed of academic resilience scale, academic motivation scale and student
engagement measure was utilised to collect data. Piloting was carried out to confirm
whether the research instruments adapted were valid and reliable. Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used in analysing data. Pearson product moment
correlation, t-test for independent samples and multiple regression analysis techniques
were applied to test the null hypotheses. Academic resilience, motivation, and
engagement had a strong positive relationship. There was no significant gender
difference in academic resilience. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation varied
significantly across genders. The difference in amotivation between respondents
based on their gender was not significant. The main recommendation of this study
was that educators, parents, guardians and other interested parties should strive to
equip the students with the right skills in order to develop their academic resilience
and motivation, which have been found to support students’ academic engagement.
Description
A Research Project Submitted In Partial Fulfilment for the Award of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) In the School of Education of Kenyatta University, March, 2024