Analyzing profiles, predictors, and consequences of student engagement dispositions

• Latent class analysis was used to explore profiles of student engagement dispositions.
• Six dispositional profiles were culled from a national sample of high school students.
• Students' dispositional profiles were related to students' academic histories.
• Students' dispositional profiles were predictive of post-secondary enrollment.
• School psychologists can be key leaders in enhancing academic engagement.

Drawing from a nationally representative sample of 12,760 students attending public high schools in the United States, this study used latent class analysis (LCA) to analyze profiles, predictors, and consequences of student engagement dispositions. A student engagement disposition is an umbrella concept. It encompasses students' identification with school together with their academic competencies and overall educational aspirations. Six subpopulation profiles of engagement dispositions were culled from the data using LCA. These profiles included students who possessed “model student” attributes as well as others whose school experiences reflected ambivalence and disidentification. Where practice and policy are concerned, findings regarding the characteristics and consequences of each profile can be used by researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to facilitate tailored intervention planning as well as more nuanced policy development.