Academic engagement of students with emotional and behavioral disorders: existing research, issues, and future directions

Abstract

Academic engagement is a multidimensional construct that is gaining increasing attention in education as a means of promoting positive academic and social behavior outcomes for diverse learners across all levels of education. However, this review revealed that research on academic engagement of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), which has primarily been performed using US student populations, has narrowly defined the term by focusing primarily on one aspect of the behavioral dimension (on-task behavior). Using on-task behavior to indicate, define, and measure academic engagement significantly limits the proposed short and long-term positive outcomes for students with EBD. This review identified and critically analyzed three fundamental issues in the study of academic engagement of students with EBD: (1) the definition of academic engagement; (2) the measurement of academic engagement; and (3) the desired outcomes for students with EBD. Considerations for future directions are provided.

Keywords:

• engagement
• emotional disorders
• behavioral disorders
• on-task behavior