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Abstract
Introduction. Scholar academic results, both academic achievement and satisfaction with school, have been studied from different perspectives, given their implications in the design of educational policies. The aim of this study is to test two predictive structural models of academic achievement and school satisfaction. Method. These models pose school engagement as a mediator between the effects of Dominican students’ contextual and individual characteristics on the consequent academic results, in terms of school performance and satisfaction with school. In order to test these two models a sample of 1164 Dominican middle school students was used. The structural models were estimated in EQS 5.7. Results. Obtained results point out that school engagement is indeed an important mediator between the effects of contextual and personal variables at school and the academic results (achievement and satisfaction). Conclusion. These results may lead to reconsideration of school contexts where the quality of teaching, affective relationships between teachers and students and a socioemotional climate which favour mastery-oriented learning, take precedence. Thus, the results are discussed in relation to previous literature, limitations related to the cross-sectional nature of the study are highlighted, and future research directions suggested.
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