Scores of studies support the conclusion that the more engaged students feel at school, the better.
A new survey builds on that research, suggesting that not only is engagement important to ensuring students show up for class, behave well, and remain on track academically, but also to ensure they have a positive outlook for their future.
The bad news: A significant share of students don’t feel their schoolwork is interesting, challenging, or aligned with their interests and talents, particularly among students who don’t plan to attend college, according to the survey, conducted by the Walton Family Foundation and the polling firm Gallup.
The survey was conducted between April 26 and May 9, with responses from 4,157 young people from Generation Z (those between ages 12 and 27), including 2,317 who are enrolled in a K-12 school. It is the second iteration of the survey, first released in 2023.
The results come as districts gear up for another school year and continue to tackle troublesome chronic absenteeism rates that have surged following pandemic school closures and persistently lagging academic achievement after historic declines, all factors that are influenced by students’ engagement and connection to their classes and peers.
The Walton and Gallup survey results suggest that how engaged students feel in school also correlates with how optimistic they are about their future. (The Walton Family Foundation provides support for Education Week coverage of strategies for advancing opportunities for students most in need. Education Week retains sole editorial control over its coverage.)
Less than 2 in 10 students said they “strongly agree” that what they are learning in class feels important or relevant. Students who reported the highest ratings were more than twice as likely as students who reported the lowest marks to feel as if they are thriving in their lives. Students who felt more engaged were more than four times as likely to strongly agree they have a “great future ahead of them,” according to the survey results.
Gen Z is optimistic about—but not as prepared for—the future
Overall, 79 percent of survey respondents said they believe they have a bright future ahead, but only about half said they feel prepared for it.
Students who don’t plan to attend college (68 percent) were less likely than those who are planning to pursue an associate (81 percent) or bachelor’s (86 percent) degree to have a positive outlook for their future.
Non-college-bound students are also less likely to agree they feel prepared for their future (40 percent) than those hoping to earn an associate degree (45 percent) or bachelor’s degree (54 percent), according to the survey results.
Part of that outlook could be because they don’t feel they have enough opportunities to explore career opportunities before graduation.
A minority of students said their schools offer opportunities to learn job-related skills, practice applying or interviewing for jobs, or work on projects related to a career they may want to pursue.
Less than a quarter of high schoolers reported having “a lot” of conversations about non-college pathways such as apprenticeships and internships (23 percent), careers that don’t require a degree (19 percent), or starting a business of their own (13 percent).
Conversely, most high school students (64 percent) feel prepared to apply for college. Seventy-two percent feel prepared to succeed in college, according to the survey.
When it comes to what survey respondents believe is most important in having a “great life,” most prioritized relationships and hobbies over becoming wealthy or having a “high-status job.”
Seventy-nine percent of respondents said having enough money to live comfortably is “very important” to having a great life, compared with just 17 percent who said being a boss or manager at work is as important to creating a great life.
Other top priorities included having close relationships with friends and family (77 percent), having time for hobbies (69 percent), and having a good education (52 percent).
How lessons are taught makes a difference
Notably, the survey showed that, by most measures, students feel less engaged at school than they did a year ago, in the first iteration of the Walton-Gallup survey.
Fifty-eight percent of students agreed this year that they had learned something interesting at school in the last seven days, down from 68 percent last year. And 46 percent agreed this year that their schoolwork challenges them in a good way, down from 54 percent a year ago.
The approach teachers take to instruction can make a big difference in students’ engagement, and, ultimately, their preparedness for and outlook on the future, survey respondents said.
About 60 percent of the students who responded said they were most interested in their classwork when their teacher made the material interesting and exciting. About 46 percent said hands-on lessons increased their interest, and 35 percent said they most enjoyed learning when they could connect the content to the “real world.”
The vast majority of middle and high school students who responded to the survey, 75 percent, say they have at least one teacher who makes them feel excited about the future, and about 70 percent said they feel motivated to get good grades, have recently received positive feedback from someone at school, and have at least one adult at school who encourages them to pursue their dreams, all important factors in increasing students’ attendance and engagement, according to research.
But, again, the percentages of students reporting these positive feelings was significantly lower among students who do not plan to pursue a college degree.
Sixty-seven percent of students who aren’t college-bound said they have a teacher who makes them feel excited about the future, 57 percent said they feel motivated to get good grades, and around 60 percent said they are encouraged by an adult at school.
