Student engagement in school life and learning

Abstract

The following research project has been carried out in light of Malta’s commitment to reach the European Union’s targets within the EU 2020 strategy, namely to increase the percentage of 30-34 year olds having successfully completed higher education to 40% and decrease early school leaving among 18-24 year olds to 10%. In the last years, Malta has been investing heavily in its education and training system and despite significant progress, the early school leaving rate remains among the highest in the European Union. In order to better understand and analyze the situation, the National Commission for Further and Higher Education has embarked on a study which reflects on student engagement and participation in their learning and school life. By collecting data through an online survey and in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this study integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches to obtain the views of administrators, teachers and former students of public and private Sixth Forms, covering the majority of student enrollment in further education in Malta. A number of main themes has emanated from views expressed by the three groups of respondents, through the interviews and the online survey. Comparing and analyzing these recurrent topics have led to a number of recommendations presented in the last chapter of this report.