Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools
Past research on ethnocultural minority students indicates that persistent inequities require greater attention to the multiple learning supports needed to enhance school success. The present study was designed to extend research in this area by exploring school climate and emotional engagement amon...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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SAGE Publications
2024
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/118057/ |
| _version_ | 1848867417875283968 |
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| author | Krauss, Steven Wong, Emily J. Y. Zeldin, Shepherd Kunasegaran, Mageswari Nga Lay Hui, Janice Ma’arof, Aini Marina Yee, Wendy Mei Tien Ismail, Ismi Arif |
| author_facet | Krauss, Steven Wong, Emily J. Y. Zeldin, Shepherd Kunasegaran, Mageswari Nga Lay Hui, Janice Ma’arof, Aini Marina Yee, Wendy Mei Tien Ismail, Ismi Arif |
| author_sort | Krauss, Steven |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Past research on ethnocultural minority students indicates that persistent inequities require greater attention to the multiple learning supports needed to enhance school success. The present study was designed to extend research in this area by exploring school climate and emotional engagement among minority ethnocultural Chinese students in Malaysian secondary schools. We employed quantitative surveys with 724 students (Mage = 16.1 years; 47.9% female), followed by qualitative interviews with a subset of 25 students (Mage = 16.1 years; 52% female). Path analysis indicated that feelings of safety, socio-emotional support from teachers and peers, and student voice were predictors of emotional engagement for Chinese students, which further predicted cognitive engagement, academic performance, and school behavior. Thematic analysis further revealed that language and communication barriers and bullying negatively impacted students’ sense of safety and engagement. Caring, respectful relationships with teachers led to students having opportunities to direct their own learning and make decisions on schoolwide activities, promoting students’ feelings of engagement. Support from peers increased students’ emotional engagement by reducing school-related stressors. The findings suggest that a mutually respectful, caring school climate and opportunities for student voice can enhance critical school experiences for ethnocultural minority high school students. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:36:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-118057 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:36:10Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | SAGE Publications |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1180572025-06-23T07:38:38Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/118057/ Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools Krauss, Steven Wong, Emily J. Y. Zeldin, Shepherd Kunasegaran, Mageswari Nga Lay Hui, Janice Ma’arof, Aini Marina Yee, Wendy Mei Tien Ismail, Ismi Arif Past research on ethnocultural minority students indicates that persistent inequities require greater attention to the multiple learning supports needed to enhance school success. The present study was designed to extend research in this area by exploring school climate and emotional engagement among minority ethnocultural Chinese students in Malaysian secondary schools. We employed quantitative surveys with 724 students (Mage = 16.1 years; 47.9% female), followed by qualitative interviews with a subset of 25 students (Mage = 16.1 years; 52% female). Path analysis indicated that feelings of safety, socio-emotional support from teachers and peers, and student voice were predictors of emotional engagement for Chinese students, which further predicted cognitive engagement, academic performance, and school behavior. Thematic analysis further revealed that language and communication barriers and bullying negatively impacted students’ sense of safety and engagement. Caring, respectful relationships with teachers led to students having opportunities to direct their own learning and make decisions on schoolwide activities, promoting students’ feelings of engagement. Support from peers increased students’ emotional engagement by reducing school-related stressors. The findings suggest that a mutually respectful, caring school climate and opportunities for student voice can enhance critical school experiences for ethnocultural minority high school students. SAGE Publications 2024-07-03 Article PeerReviewed Krauss, Steven and Wong, Emily J. Y. and Zeldin, Shepherd and Kunasegaran, Mageswari and Nga Lay Hui, Janice and Ma’arof, Aini Marina and Yee, Wendy Mei Tien and Ismail, Ismi Arif (2024) Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools. Journal of Adolescent Research, 39 (5). pp. 1154-1192. ISSN 0743-5584; eISSN: 1552-6895 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07435584221107431 10.1177/07435584221107431 |
| spellingShingle | Krauss, Steven Wong, Emily J. Y. Zeldin, Shepherd Kunasegaran, Mageswari Nga Lay Hui, Janice Ma’arof, Aini Marina Yee, Wendy Mei Tien Ismail, Ismi Arif Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools |
| title | Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools |
| title_full | Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools |
| title_fullStr | Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools |
| title_full_unstemmed | Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools |
| title_short | Positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools |
| title_sort | positive school climate and emotional engagement: a mixed methods study of chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in malaysian secondary schools |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/118057/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/118057/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/118057/ |