The Relationship Between Scores from the Student Risk Screening Scale: Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) and Scores from Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) in a Sixth-Grade Sample
Abstract
This study analyzes the relationship between scores from a measure of student engagement and scores from a measure that screens students for being at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in sixth grade students. Screening instruments are used in schools to improve identification of students at risk for behavioral difficulties. Measures of engagement assess students' levels of psychological and cognitive engagement in school. Students in this study completed the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), an instrument used for measuring student engagement. Teachers completed the Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) for their students, which screens for risk of EBD. Results indicate there was not a significant relationship between SEI scores and SRSS-IE scores. However, there were significant correlations between the SEI scores of psychological and cognitive engagement (r = .709, p < .01). Additionally, the relationship between the internalizing and externalizing scores of the SRSS-IE were also significant (r = .291, p < .05). Implications, limitations, and ideas for further research are explored.