Adolescents’ Challenging Behaviours and Student Engagement Evidence-Based Engagement Strategies for Jamaica Rural High Schools

Abstract

Educators are faced with an enormous task to improve student engagement, which according to Shernoff, Ruzek, & Sinha, (2017) is a global problem. Over the years, as the seriousness of this problem intensifies, researchers capitalized on studies to stem it. In Jamaica’s context, there is an increased echo of how challenging behaviours and the lack of student engagement are creating negative implications in the education system (Gyles, 2020; Linton, 2018). Given the heterogeneous group of students in Jamaica's rural high schools, where a vast number of them are identified with undiagnosed behavioural problems, some teachers are becoming more and more overwhelmed with the negative impact of the conditions and have considered leaving the classroom for other opportunities (Wilson-Harris, 2018). Based on this impact, it has become necessary that for the 21st-century learners, effective evidence-based strategies be employed to enhance positive behaviours and boost student engagement. This research presents a potential remedy for how teachers may promote student engagement, especially for adolescents with challenging behaviours.