Toward a New Science of Academic Engagement

Abstract

I wish that we take seriously the possible dark side of engagement and the bright side of disengagement integrating the engagement and disengagement processes into the same picture. I present some examples which are based on longitudinal studies during the key educational transitions. Our study revealed that about one out of four high school students experienced high levels of both schoolwork engagement and school burnout simultaneously (engaged-disengaged profile). This pattern of exhaustive engagement was related to short-term high academic performance but later on to most harmful experiences such as depression and later experience of high burnout, with low later levels of engagement.