Social Support Matters: Longitudinal Effects of Social Support on Three Dimensions of School Engagement From Middle to High School

2012/04/17 by Ming-Te Wang, Ming‐Te Wang, Jacquelynne S Eccles +1 · 1,154 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Academic achievement #African american #Compliance (psychology) #Developmental psychology #Early Childhood Education and Development #Ethnic group #Longitudinal study #Parental Involvement in Education #Peer group #Psychology #Social psychology #Social support #Youth Development and Social Support

paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01745.x

published in Child Development 83(3), 877-895 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2012/04/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

This study examined the relative influence of adolescents' supportive relationships with teachers, peers, and parents on trajectories of different dimensions of school engagement from middle to high school and how these associations differed by gender and race or ethnicity. The sample consisted of 1,479 students (52% females, 56% African American). The average growth trajectories of school compliance, participation in extracurricular activities, school identification, and subjective valuing of learning decreased from 7th to 11th grades (mean ages = 12.9 years to 17.2 years). Different sources of social support were not equally important in their impact on school engagement, and the effect of these sources differed by the aspect of engagement studied. For instance, peer social support predicted adolescents' school compliance more strongly and school identification less strongly than teacher social support.

Citations

• Adolescents’ Perceptions of School Environment, Engagement, and Academic Achievement in Middle School
• Student Engagement in Instructional Activity: Patterns in the Elementary, Middle, and High School Years
• A Motivational Perspective on Engagement and Disaffection

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