Examining the relationship between school engagement and learning responsibility among middle school students

This research aims to investigate the relationship between middle school students' school engagement and learning responsibilities. It also explores how school engagement and learning responsibilities vary based on gender, grade level, and parental education. The study was conducted during the 2022-2023 academic year in state and private middle schools in Istanbul province. The sample consisted of 353 middle school students selected through simple random sampling. A relational survey model was employed as the research method. Data on students' gender, grade level, and parental education were collected using a "Personal Information Form." The "School Engagement Scale" and the "Learning Responsibility Scale" served as the data collection instruments. The research findings indicate that female students displayed significantly higher levels of school engagement. Students with parents who graduated from middle school exhibited higher levels of affective engagement compared to those with parents who graduated from higher levels of education. Similarly, students with parents who graduated from middle school demonstrated higher levels of cognitive engagement than those with parents who graduated from high school or college. Significant differences were observed among female students in terms of learning responsibility levels, with their levels being significantly higher. Additionally, 7th-grade students demonstrated higher levels of learning responsibility, and students enrolled in state schools displayed significantly higher levels of learning responsibility. A positive and significant correlation was found between the "School Engagement Scale" and the "Learning Responsibility Scale," indicating a relationship between students' school engagement and learning responsibilities. This relationship was evident in the sub-dimensions of in-class and out-of-class learning responsibilities. Regarding the predictive power of school engagement and learning responsibility, the sub-dimensions of in-class and out-of-class learning responsibilities accounted for a positive explanatory effect of 64.9% on the level of school engagement.