title: Do girls and boys perceive themselves as equally engaged in school? The results of an international study from 12 countries.
abstract: This study examined gender differences in student engagement and academic performance in school. Participants included 3420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th graders) from Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results indicated that, compared to boys, girls reported higher levels of engagement in school and were rated higher by their teachers in academic performance. Student engagement accounted for gender differences in academic performance, but gender did not moderate the associations among student engagement, academic performance, or contextual supports. Analysis of multiple-group structural equation modeling revealed that perceptions of teacher support and parent support, but not peer support, were related indirectly to academic performance through student engagement. This partial mediation model was invariant across gender. The findings from this study enhance the understanding about the contextual and personal factors associated with girls' and boys' academic performance around the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, China. lamsf@hku.hk
authors.forename: Shui-fong
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jimerson
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kikas
authors.forename: Carmel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cefai
authors.forename: Feliciano H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Veiga
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Chryse
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hatzichristou
authors.forename: Fotini
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Polychroni
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Basnett
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duck
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Negovan
authors.forename: Hyeonsook
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stanculescu
authors.forename: Bernard P H
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Hongfei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zollneritsch
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004522:Educational Status; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010379:Peer Group; D010465:Perception; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States