Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Learning Engagement Among Grade 10 Learners in Selected Public High Schools

This study investigates the extent to which socio-economic determinants shape learning engagement among Junior High School learners, situating the analysis within Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. Employing a quantitative, comparative cross-sectional design, data were collected from Grade 10 students using validated survey instruments capturing five socio-economic variables (family income, parental education, access to resources, home environment, and community/peer influence) and five engagement domains (behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social, and agentic). Descriptive and inferential analyses, including multiple linear regression, were conducted at a 0.05 significance level. Findings indicate consistently high engagement levels, with home environment (M = 3.74, SD = 0.52) and family income (M = 3.45, SD = 0.55) perceived as supportive factors. However, regression results demonstrate that community and peer influence exerts the most substantial effect on engagement (β = 0.356, p < 0.001), followed by home environment (β = 0.212, p = 0.003) and parental education (β = 0.167, p = 0.010). The model explains 35.8% of the variance (R² = 0.358), indicating a moderate explanatory power. Notably, family income and access to resources were not significant predictors, suggesting that relational and environmental dynamics outweigh purely economic factors. These findings advance the discourse on educational engagement by emphasizing the primacy of social ecosystems over material conditions.