A Correlational Study of Student Engagement and Attitudes Toward Learning English with English Academic Achievement

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether there was a significant relationship between student engagement and attitudes toward learning English with English academic achievement of Grade 3 students at an international school, Thailand. Research design, data and methodology: A total of 115 students participated in this study. The first research instrument was the Student Engagement and Attitudes Toward Learning English Questionnaire (SEATLEQ). It consisted of the Engaged Learning Index (ELI): Student Engagement to determine the level of student engagement; and Attitudes Toward Learning English Questionnaire (ATLEQ) to determine students’ attitudes toward learning English. The second research instrument was the English Final Test for Grade 3 students to analyze their English academic achievement. Results: The findings indicated that Grade 3 students at the target school had an overall high engagement level for learning English. While the overall level of attitudes toward learning English was interpreted as partially positive. The English Final Test depicted that students had a good level of English academic achievement. Conclusions: The results specified that there was a strong, positive, and significant relationship between student engagement and attitudes toward learning English with English academic achievement of Grade 3 students at an International School in Thailand.