School Engagement as Predictors of Academic Achievement of the Left-Behind Children in Henan Province, China

With the expansion of industrialisation and rapid development of economy in China, migration of the rural population to the urban areas in seek of employment has resulted in changes in the family structure and increased number of left-behind children (LBC) in China. Numerous studies on LBC have concluded the critical issues among the children related to their overall well- being and their performance at school. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of emotional, cognitive and behavioural engagement of the LBC on the academic achievement of the left behind children. Quantitative research method was used and the sample were 186 left- behind children in Henan Province, China. To measure school engagement, the instrument developed by Finlay (2006) was used. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between the various predictors and academic achievement. The findings concluded that emotional, cognitive and behavioural engagement of the LBC at school were significantly correlated with academic achievement. The hierarchical regression findings concluded that emotional engagement (β= .268; t= 3.593, p<0.000, cognitive engagement (β= .245; t= 3.284, p<0.000 and care takers (β= .132; t= 2.009, p<0.05) were significant predictors of academic achievement of the LBC.