Browsing by Author "Manninen, Hanna-Mari"

Introduction. The goal of the thesis was to examine to what extend the academic buoyancy is related to school engagement of 7th grade students. The research question was: How the academic buoyancy of 7th graders is related to school engagement? The research is part of the Growing mind research project, which aims to find new functional ways to develop schools by supporting young people's learning and positive development. It is important to examine the factors that support school engagement, as school engagement promotes well-being at school and is a protective factor against dropping out of school. The theoretical framework of the study was previous studies of academic buoyancy and school engagement. Based on previous studies, the hypothesis was that academic buoyancy is positively related to school engagement. Methods. The data for the study was collected from schools in the Helsinki area in autumn 2021 through the Growing mind student survey. The participants (526 girls, 439 boys and 49 other genders) were 7th graders in elementary school. The connection between academic buoyancy and school engagement was investigated using hierarchical regression analysis. It was used to study the associations between academic buoyancy and background variables on school engagement. Results and conclusions. The study was able to identify a positive connection between academic buoyancy and school engagement. The family's financial situation was also positively related to school engagement. According to the results, boys had higher academic buoyancy to withstand school-related pressures and adversity. The results conclude that strengthening academic buoyancy can be a good way to support young people's school engagement. This can be applied in practice, for example, through positive pedagogy, programs developed to strengthen resilience, and coping strategies for dealing with stress.