Abstract
Student engagement is a multidimensional concept of academic success, rooted in teacher-student relationships that foster the security and belonging essential for motivation. Despite extensive research on student engagement, prevailing models often emphasize instructional and cognitive strategies while under examining the relational, emotional, and cultural factors needed to support the whole student. This Banded Dissertation addresses the need for strategies that support students holistically while exploring the under-researched influence of youth culture on school connectivity. Ultimately, this work seeks to deepen the conceptual understanding of engagement to better facilitate student achievement. The first product of this Banded Dissertation is a conceptual analysis titled It’s All About Relationships: The Role of Connection in Student Engagement. This paper investigates the integration of attachment theory into the classroom setting, specifically examining its implications for the dyadic student-teacher relationship. The second product, Correlates of Student Engagement and Academic Success among Minnesota Youth: A Review of Survey Data, is a quantitative research study examining youth engagement over time using data from the 2016, 2019, and 2022 Minnesota Student Surveys. The third product is a peer-reviewed conference presentation delivered at the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) annual conference. Titled Understanding and Responding to Youth Experiences Across Time, this presentation translated the empirical findings from product two into actionable practice, advocating for responsive support models that meet the evolving mental health and developmental needs of youth.