Page 109 - Secondary school students’ university readiness and their transition to university Els van Rooij

Chapter 4
Interest o en appears as a subject-speci c construct (i.e., interest in history or mathematics), but it also can be de ned more generally, encompassing collections of related subjects and topics (cf. ‘general interest in school’; Wentzel, 1998). We adopted this generalized view to focus on individual interest (i.e., liking, engaging with, and being predisposed to reengage) in gaining academic knowledge in a chosen eld and its research-based activities. For expediency, we refer to this construct as ‘academic interest’. is broad version of academic interest is especially appropriate for pre-university education, which involves students with high ability levels who aim to be the future generations of scholars. We expected academic interest to function similarly to interest in a speci c subject or topic: Greater interest leads to more self-e cacy.
4.2.3 Behavioural engagement
Behavioural engagement is part of the broader construct of student engagement, which refers to involvement in and commitment to school (Landis & Reschly, 2013). Behavioural engagement comprises indicators such as attendance, participation, and preparation (Christenson, Stout, & Pohl, 2012; Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). Linnenbrink and Pintrich (2003) found a consistent, stable relationship between self-e cacy and behavioural engagement, implying a directional link from self-e cacy to engagement, though they also cautioned that the relationship might be reciprocal: “ e more a student is engaged, and especially the more they learn and the better they perform, the higher their self-e cacy” (Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2003, 123). erefore, we proposed that behavioural engagement in uences academic self-e cacy.
4.2.4 Out-of-school academic activities
Behavioural engagement focuses speci cally on school-related activities (e.g., homework, studying for tests). Need for cognition is a personality construct that implies that students are curious, but it may not necessarily lead to students acting on that curiosity. Students who intend to go to university not only require need for cognition but also must act on this need by performing self-initiated academic activities outside of school. Such informal out-of-school academic activities might include reading the research section on a popular news website, talking to friends or family about academic knowledge, or watching enquiry-based documentaries. Secondary school students who perform such out-of-school academic activities likely become more acquainted with the world of academia and the enquiry-
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