For more than two decades, the concept of student engagement has grown from simple attention in class to a construct comprised of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components that embody and further develop motivation for learning. Similarly, the goals of student engagement have evolved from dropout prevention to improved outcomes for lifelong learning. This robust expansion has led to numerous lines of research across disciplines and are brought together clearly and comprehensively in the Handbook of Research on Student Engagement. The Handbook guides readers through the field’s rich history, sorts out its component constructs, and identifies knowledge gaps to be filled by future research. Grounding data in real-world learning situations, contributors analyze indicators and facilitators of student engagement, link engagement to motivation, and gauge the impact of family, peers, and teachers on engagement in elementary and secondary grades. Findings on the effectiveness of classroom interventions are discussed in detail. And because assessing engagement is still a relatively new endeavor, chapters on measurement methods and issues round out this important resource. Topical areas addressed in the Handbook include: Engagement across developmental stages. Self-efficacy in the engaged learner. Parental and social influences on engagement and achievement motivation. The engaging nature of teaching for competency development. The relationship between engagement and high-risk behavior in adolescents. Comparing methods for measuring student engagement. An essential guide to the expanding knowledge base, the Handbook of Research on Student Engagement serves as a valuable resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in such varied fields as clinical child and school psychology, educational psychology, public health, teaching and teacher education, social work, and educational policy.

Hispanics and the Future of America presents details of the complex story of a population that varies in many dimensions, including national origin, immigration status, and generation. The papers in this volume draw on a wide variety of data sources to describe the contours of this population, from the perspectives of history, demography, geography, education, family, employment, economic well-being, health, and political engagement. They provide a rich source of information for researchers, policy makers, and others who want to better understand the fast-growing and diverse population that we call "Hispanic." The current period is a critical one for getting a better understanding of how Hispanics are being shaped by the U.S. experience. This will, in turn, affect the United States and the contours of the Hispanic future remain uncertain. The uncertainties include such issues as whether Hispanics, especially immigrants, improve their educational attainment and fluency in English and thereby improve their economic position; whether growing numbers of foreign-born Hispanics become citizens and achieve empowerment at the ballot box and through elected office; whether impending health problems are successfully averted; and whether Hispanics' geographic dispersal accelerates their spatial and social integration. The papers in this volume provide invaluable information to explore these issues.

Academic success can have many positive effects on one's life. Unfortunately, there are many students today in the United States who do not complete high school. Specifically, nearly 20-25% of students who enter high school do not graduate. That number grows to 40% among students from African American and Hispanic American backgrounds. There are myriad factors highlighted in the literature in connection with dropping out of high school, such as socio-economic status, family structure, peer relationships, and school characteristics. While a significant amount of research focuses on why students do not graduate, there is limited research that has assessed students from comparable backgrounds and their ability to complete high school successfully. The present study included a survey that attempted to expand upon previous research that identified factors that positively influence academic success including individual motivation, peer relationships, and student engagement. The participants were to include students from three different racial backgrounds, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Caucasian Americans. However, only one of the participants identified as Caucasian and no comparisons could be drawn from that demographic group. All of the participants reported that they would be graduating, which did not allow for comparisons between students who were graduating and those not graduating. T-tests were conducted regarding differences between African American and Hispanic American students and the three protective factors, and between students who were retained and those not retained; however the results were not statistically significant. Even though there were no significant findings, an item analyses was completed to review how students answered each of the survey questions. There were 44.4% of students who reported that they were unsure if their teachers care about them, however, 66.6% of students endorsed agreed or strongly agreed that their teachers care about their education. Positively, 93.3% of students endorsed agreed or strongly agreed about the importance of doing well in school. This study included a small sample size (N=45) that may have contributed to the lack of statistically significant findings. Given the limitations of the present study, further research should continue to collaborate with students, parents, and school districts in order to better understand what variables help students to graduate high school.

This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class. This book is currently used as a research text at universities on six continents and will shortly be available in nine different languages.