Positive affect catalyzes academic engagement: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental evidence

• The role of positive affect on students’ engagement and disaffection was examined.
• Positive affect positively predicted engagement and negatively predicted disaffection.
• Negative affect positively predicted disaffection and negatively predicted engagement

This study examined the role of positive affect on academic engagement and its opposite disaffection using cross-sectional (Study 1), longitudinal (Study 2), and experimental (Study 3) designs. Results of Studies 1 and 2 indicated that students who experienced higher levels of positive affect were more engaged in school and exhibited lower levels of disaffection. Study 3 showed that students whose positive affect were induced reported higher levels of perceived engagement compared to a comparison group. These findings provide important evidence for the role of positive affect in school not only as a valued outcome in itself but also as a facilitator of engagement and a buffer against disaffection. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.