INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHANGES IN EDUCATION
Research Article
Feb 09, 2026 1 0

Student Engagement in Learning: Exploring the Role of Perceived Student Cohesiveness, Equity, Teacher Support, and Teacher Autonomy Support Under the Framework of Self-Determination Theory

Emmanuel Bizimana 1 *
1 Faculty of Education, Protestant University of Rwanda, Rwanda* Corresponding Author
International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(1), 2026, 49-60, https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52024500
Publication date: Feb 09, 2026
Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

The academic achievement of secondary students remains a top goal for an increasing number of parents, teachers, administrators, students, and policymakers. This is because students with high academic learning outcomes gain a lot in the long run, including
future admission success in college or university and later in the workforce. As a result, all educational stakeholders must focus on figuring out how to raise student academic achievement. One of the promising avenues to increase academic achievement is student engagement. According to self-determination theory, satisfying a student’s need for relatedness, autonomy, and competence is one of the conditions for raising student engagement. This study, therefore, mainly examined how the classroom environment of student cohesiveness (SC), equity (EQ), teacher support (TS), and teacher autonomy support (TAS) predicts behavioral engagement (BE), cognitive engagement (CE), emotional engagement (EE), and agentic engagement (AE) of students. Data were collected from 305 students (150 males and 155 females) in four purposively selected secondary schools in the Nyamagabe district of Rwanda. The four subscales from the What Is Happening In this Class (WIHIC) questionnaire, the Learning Climate Questionnaire, and the Student Engagement Scale were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using the Mean and SD, multivariate analysis of variance, and regression analyses. Based on the results, the SC, TS, EQ, and TAS were significantly related to all components of student engagement (BE, CE, EE, and AE). There was a significant difference between boys’ and girls’ perceptions of BE and TAS. Gender, SC, and EQ predict BE; TAS predicts CE; EQ and TAS predict EE; and SC, TS, and TAS predict AE. Thus, responding to students’ SC, TS, EQ, and TAS needs is crucial as they can foster student engagement in various aspects.

KEYWORDS

student cohesiveness equity teacher support teacher autonomy support student engagement secondary school self-determination theory

CITATION (APA)

Bizimana, E. (2026). Student Engagement in Learning: Exploring the Role of Perceived Student Cohesiveness, Equity, Teacher Support, and Teacher Autonomy Support Under the Framework of Self-Determination Theory. International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(1), 49-60. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52024500
Harvard
Bizimana, E. (2026). Student Engagement in Learning: Exploring the Role of Perceived Student Cohesiveness, Equity, Teacher Support, and Teacher Autonomy Support Under the Framework of Self-Determination Theory. International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(1), pp. 49-60. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52024500
Vancouver
Bizimana E. Student Engagement in Learning: Exploring the Role of Perceived Student Cohesiveness, Equity, Teacher Support, and Teacher Autonomy Support Under the Framework of Self-Determination Theory. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2026;3(1):49-60. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52024500
AMA
Bizimana E. Student Engagement in Learning: Exploring the Role of Perceived Student Cohesiveness, Equity, Teacher Support, and Teacher Autonomy Support Under the Framework of Self-Determination Theory. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2026;3(1), 49-60. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52024500
Chicago
Bizimana, Emmanuel. "Student Engagement in Learning: Exploring the Role of Perceived Student Cohesiveness, Equity, Teacher Support, and Teacher Autonomy Support Under the Framework of Self-Determination Theory". International Journal of Changes in Education 2026 3 no. 1 (2026): 49-60. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52024500
MLA
Bizimana, Emmanuel "Student Engagement in Learning: Exploring the Role of Perceived Student Cohesiveness, Equity, Teacher Support, and Teacher Autonomy Support Under the Framework of Self-Determination Theory". International Journal of Changes in Education, vol. 3, no. 1, 2026, pp. 49-60. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52024500

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