Critique of a Quantitative Study

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In “Interrelations of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive school engagement in high school students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence” Li, & Lerner argues in the essence that behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement are related in regards to how adolescents achieve in school. Li & Lerner goes ahead to state that the three aspects affect each other in regards to time. Based on my vast experience as a researcher, I have to say that I find Li, & Lerner opinions intellectual, fascinating, and possibly notably well worth following.

Li, & Lerner application of cognitive, behavior, and emotional aspects symbolizes how real and significant they are to the commitment of adolescents in schools. First and foremost, Li, & Lerner denotes that emotional characteristics affects behavioral aspects and cognitive aspects. This suggests that emotional engagement influences behavioral engagement, and cognitive engagement, but the aspect regarding if cognitive affects emotional and behavioral engagements has not been fully investigated. Li & Lerner state that the blend of these three aspects has a great effect on an adolescent commitment in school.

Li & Lerner in the course of their research identified that emotion is the entry point or the key stimulator for the other engagements. They continued to state that when emotional commitment rises, it influences vigorous contribution, which thus leads to amplified cognitive engagement. Conversely, Li, & Lerner goes on to state that during their study, they did not expect that behavioral engagement would influence cognitive or emotional aspects in adolescents. Their research was based on positive youth development, an aspect that was to explain if behavioral engagements affect emotional and cognitive aspects. The research wanted to understand the effects of developmental assets effects in regards to positive youth development throughout adolescence. Li & Lerner used data that resulted from the Grades 9-11 waves or the waves five to seven from the 4-H study, which regards positive youth development. The 4-H study is an ongoing longitudinal scrutiny of adolescents that regards the measurements and definition the key structures of positive youth development, and understanding the effects of developmental assets effects in regards to positive youth development throughout adolescence.

The researcher steered by Li, & Lerner expected them to look at various demographic and non-demographic characteristics of the parent and the adolescents. The demographic and non-demographic characteristics were all written in the student and parent questionnaire. Li & Lerner argued that demographic and non-demographic characteristics were essential for the consideration of the school commitment of an adolescent. The key objective of the research was to analyze the interrelationships occurring among behavioral, cognitive, and emotional school engagement with time. The research assumed that emotions can be the access point to the relational process. However, the distinctions in the behavioral engagement influenced cognitive and emotional engagement. The research later identified that behavioral engagement was steady than cognitive and emotional aspects, which were discreetly steady. Li, & Lerner believed that the research would bring the anticipation that cognitive and emotional aspects could lead to extended behavioral engagement, and that past emotional engagement could influence cognitive engagement.

The complete present results showed that school engagement holds its personal inner dynamics, where behavior, cognition, and emotional aspects affect each other, thus intensifies over time. The conclusions were somewhat in line with the proposition that motivational opinions and positive emotions leads to the rise in participation, and that encouraging mood increases cognitive ability. Consequently, Li, & Lerner proposals regarding behavioral aspect twisted to be a significant predictor of cognitive and emotional engagement in both intervals. The most exceptional aspect with the results regards the connection between emotional and behavioral aspects is that it is not unidirectional, but bidirectional.

This critique backs its statements by referencing different researchers work and their proposal regarding that idea. Amongst the researchers it cites its work from is (Skinner et al.2008) who argued saying that behavior, cognition, and emotional affects each other, thus intensifying with time. The other scholar that Li, & Lerner referenced their work was (Glanville and Wildhagen 2007) who argued that school commitment is very important in academic achievement theories, as well as the broader child growth literature.

The basis of my critique will regard the aspect that behavior, cognition, and emotional influence each other, thus intensify themselves over time. Adolescents at this stage are said to have many conditions undergoing inside their bodies. Based on this fact, these three aspects are very vital in this stage as they tend to have the huge influence. Adolescents at this stage tend to change their behavior and emotions based on what goes on in their bodies. Basing on this fact, during adolescents, students tend to change their behaviors as a result of emotional changes, which thus escalate to cognitive engagement. The support and affection that adolescents get at this stage have a vital role in their performance in school. During this stage, many students tend to perform as per the affection they receive from the society. This is an aspect that Li & Lerner explains that there are other non-demographic and demographic aspects that pose a huge impact on the emotional, behavioral and cognitive engagements.

In conclusion, the study conducted by Li, & Lerner and (Skinner et al.2008) is very vital for teachers, parents and adolescent students. These articles are very instrumental as they point out the factors that play and influence the school engagement of adolescents. This study should also go further to understand how cognitive engagement affects emotional and behavioral aspects.

References

Glanville, J. L., & Wildhagen, T. (2007). The measurement of school engagement: Assessing dimensionality and measurement invariance across race and ethnicity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 67, 1019–1041.

Skinner, E. A., Furrer, C., Marchand, G., & Kindermann, T. (2008). Engagement and disaffection in the classroom: Part of a larger motivational dynamic? Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 765–781.