Achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, and academic engagement among adolescent students in Kabale district, Uganda

Abstract

Globally, education is a key pathway for overcoming poverty. Financial support from governments and non-governmental organizations facilitates students’ access, engagement, and success in academics. Despite the existing multifaceted support interventions in Uganda, about 83% of Ugandan children enrol in primary school, only 22% progress to secondary school, and less than 5% attend post-secondary education programs. To address this low academic access and success characterised by low school retention rates, this study examined the influence of achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, and other context-based factors on the academic engagement of adolescent students in Kabale District, Uganda. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach, the study collected quantitative data from 510 adolescent students and conducted in-depth interviews among 14 key informants who included officers of Compassion International; teachers, directors of studies, and a subset of adolescent students. Quantitative data was then entered into the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 with a Process Macro plugin by Hayes version 4.2 for analysis. Findings of the study indicate that there were statistically significant demographic variations in achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, and academic engagement. Regression analysis results reveal that self-efficacy mediated the relationship between achievement goal orientation and academic engagement. Qualitative findings indicate that apart from achievement goal orientation and self-efficacy, external support, future career and employability aspirations influenced academic engagement. Findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay of the study variables, providing valuable insights. The study recommends that policy makers and all education stakeholders create awareness of the importance of achievement goal orientation and embrace self-efficacy enhancement strategies while designing effective educational interventions to improve academic engagement in low income contexts.