Longitudinal Impact of Grade Retention in Student Engage-Ment with School: Challenges to Inclusive Education and to Person-Centered Schools

The value of grade retention as a pedagogic resource remains a subject of debate be-cause its costs and benefits. Amongst the psychosocial effects of retention, student en-gagement with school is one of the dimensions that are expected to be more affected. This study aimed at contributing for this debate by examining the relationship between grade retention and various dimensions of student engagement with school, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally over a five-year period. The cross-sectional sample comprised 727 students aged 14 to 19 years (M = 16.47, SD = 0.59), while the longitu-dinal sample included 238 students aged 11 to 15 years (M = 13.29, SD = 0.54 at the first assessment). Student engagement with school was measured using the Multifac-torial Measure of Student Engagement. Results indicated that grade retention was negatively associated with overall student engagement, particularly with study be-haviors and perceived family support for learning. Moreover, students with a history of retention exhibited a significantly steeper decline in engagement over time com-pared to their non-retained peers. These findings underscore the importance of devel-oping inclusive educational practices and targeted strategies that foster student en-gagement, especially for retained students. Schools need to assume their responsibility in promoting positive academic trajectories for all their students, including shifting from a materialistic oriented paradigm to a person-centered school’s paradigm.