Published on March 2025 | Education

Relationship of Students' Academic Optimism and Students' Academic Engagement to their Socio- Demographic Technological Profile

This study explores the relationship between students' socio-demographic technological profiles and their academic optimism and academic engagement. The research examines how the variable such as parental socio-economic status (monthly income), educational attainment, occupation, and access to technology and the internet correlates to students' trust in teachers, perceptions of academic press, and identification with school, collectively termed students’ academic optimism. Additionally, the study evaluates cognitive, behavioral, and affective dimensions of students' academic engagement. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, utilizing both surveys and key informant interviews. The sample consisted of 320 students selected using Cochran's formula with a 5% margin of error and a 95% confidence level, ensuring a representative sample across grades 7 to 12. The primary data collection tool was a set of validated and reliable questionnaires, including the academic optimism scale by Tschannen-Moran et al. (2013) and a modified version of Pareja's (2009) Student Engagement Scale. Ordinal regression analysis was used to determine how socio-demographic and technological profiles predict students' academic optimism and engagement, with Spearman's rank correlation assessing the relationship between these variables. Key findings reveal that students' academic engagement had the strongest positive association with academic optimism and vice versa. The father's monthly salary had a significant negative association with academic optimism and the maternal education has a positive significant relationship with students’ academic engagement. The study highlights the significant role of academic engagement in fostering academic optimism and suggests targeted interventions to ensure academic success and positive experience of the students in school.