Educational engagement is a prerequisite for academic success (Montgomery & Rossi, 1994). Even a quality curriculum guided by a knowledgeable teacher will not result in student learning unless students first are engaged in the learning process. Unfortunately, the number of disengaged students may exceed two-thirds of the student population in high schools (Sedlak, Wheeler, Pullin & Cusick, 1986). Some of these students may be at risk for dropping out of school and most are at risk for minimal involvement and therefore minimal learning in school.

Engagement is defined as the willingness of students to make the “psychological investment required to comprehend and master knowledge and skills” (Wehlage, Rutter, Smith, Lesko, & Fernandez, 1989, p. 177). The importance of student engagement in learning is a common theme in the educational literature and is related, at least in part, to the current popularity of constructivist learning theories. For sociocultural theorists, student involvement in culturally organized activity is central to the educational process, while more individually focused constructivists focus on the sensory-motor and conceptual activity of the student (Cobb, 1994). From both theoretical perspectives, however, the student’s active engagement is a key concept in the learning process.

In addition to its importance to learning, educational engagement is also a key component in student
retention. Finn’s (1989) review of the literature related to student withdrawal and disengagement from schools described two primary models posited to explain this phenomenon.