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. 2020;23(2):279-314.
doi: 10.1007/s11218-019-09540-3. Epub 2019 Dec 20.

School alienation and academic achievement in Switzerland and Luxembourg: a longitudinal perspective

Julia Morinaj  1 , Andreas Hadjar  2 , Tina Hascher  1
Affiliations

School alienation and academic achievement in Switzerland and Luxembourg: a longitudinal perspective

Julia Morinaj et al. Soc Psychol Educ. 2020.

Abstract

Early adolescence represents a particularly sensitive period in the life of young learners, which is accompanied by an increase in school alienation. Due to its harmful nature (Hascher and Hadjar in Educ Res 60:171-188, 2018. 10.1080/00131881.2018.1443021), school alienation may lead to unfavorable consequences such as low academic achievement (Johnson in J Educ Technol Soc 8:179-189, 2005; Reinke and Herman in Psychol Schools 39:549-559, 2002). This study investigates the longitudinal relationship between school alienation domains, namely alienation from learning, from teachers, and from classmates, and academic achievement among secondary school students of grade 7 to grade 9 in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Data were collected from 403 students in the Swiss canton of Bern and 387 students in Luxembourg who participated in three waves of the "School Alienation in Switzerland and Luxembourg (SASAL)" research project. Cross-lagged modeling was applied to examine the correlations between school alienation domains and academic achievement at each of the three time points, the temporal stability of school alienation domains and academic achievement, and their cross-lagged effects across time, controlling for students' gender, school track, parental occupational status, and migration background. Results show that the pattern of relationships is defined by the school alienation domain and the cultural context, pointing to the complex interplay between the multidimensional construct of school alienation and academic outcomes of secondary school students.

Keywords: Academic achievement; Cross-lagged panel analysis; Longitudinal design; School alienation; Secondary school students.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A hypothesized three-wave fully cross-lagged panel model of the relationship between SAL and students’ academic achievement. Notes. Each latent variable (represented by ovals) are assessed at three time points. Within each wave, the two constructs are correlated. Double-headed arrows indicate a covariance between two constructs (at Grade 7) and a covariance between disturbance error for the latent factors (at Grades 8 and 9). Latent factor items are not shown for simplicity. Solid black paths reflect within-construct regression paths, to estimate relative stability of the construct (i.e., inter-individual stability). Dark grey arrows represent effects of prior SAL on later academic achievement; light grey arrows reflect effects of prior academic achievement on subsequent SAL
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Standardized parameter estimates for the cross-lagged panel model of the relations between alienation from learning and students’ academic achievement in the Swiss canton of Bern. Only significant paths are displayed. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Standardized parameter estimates for the cross-lagged panel model of the relations between alienation from learning and students’ academic achievement in Luxembourg. Only significant paths are displayed. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Standardized parameter estimates for the cross-lagged panel model of the relations between alienation from teachers and students’ academic achievement in the Swiss canton of Bern. Only significant paths are displayed. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Standardized parameter estimates for the cross-lagged panel model of the relations between alienation from teachers and students’ academic achievement in Luxembourg. Only significant paths are displayed. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Standardized parameter estimates for the cross-lagged panel model of the relations between alienation from classmates and students’ academic achievement in the Swiss canton of Bern. Only are displayed. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Standardized parameter estimates for the cross-lagged panel model of the relations between alienation from classmates and students’ academic achievement in Luxembourg. Only significant paths are displayed. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001
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