Teacher perception of the factors influencing academic engagement among rural secondary school-going adolescents in Kabarole District: Implications for educational practice and learner support

Teacher perception of the factors influencing academic engagement among rural secondary school-going adolescents in Kabarole District: Implications for educational practice and learner support

Loyce Kiiza Kobusingye , Moris Matembu Kipuru , Ivan Odongo Okello & Teopisita Nabasajji

Issue: Vol. 7 No. 6 2026 Article 5 pp.638 – 652
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026765 Published online 23rd July 2026.

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ABSTRACT

The study explored teachers’ perceptions of the factors that influence academic engagement among secondary school adolescents in rural schools in Kabarole District, Western Uganda. The participants of the study were Arts and Sciences teachers, selected purposively based on experience, role, and expertise. Data was collected from 24 participants using key informant interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that academic engagement is influenced by student personal factors that are psychological nature, teacher or instructional, school or institutional, home-based and social, characterized by self-esteem, self-efficacy, value attachment, teaching styles, teacher personality, instructional materials, parenting styles, parental level of education and attitude towards education, learner socio-economic status, quality of recruited teachers, school rules and regulations, and peer pressure/influence. Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that academic engagement is influenced by in-school and out-of-school factors at school, home, and within the student. As a result of such findings, it is recommended that for academic engagement to be improved and sustained at healthy levels, schools, teachers, and parents need to boost support for learners through the impartation of soft skills such as self-esteem and self-efficacy, improvement of teaching strategies, and enhancement of teacher-student, teacher-parent, and student-student relationships.

Keywords: Academic engagement, teacher, perception, rural secondary schools

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AUTHOR(S)

Loyce Kiiza Kobusingye is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at Mountains of the Moon University in Western Uganda. She has also taught Educational Psychology at Makerere University, the oldest university in Uganda.

Moris Matembu Kipuru is a Lecturer of Educational Psychology at Kyambogo University in Uganda.

Ivan Odongo Okello is a Lecturer of Educational Psychology at Lira University in Uganda.

Teopisita Nabasajji is a PhD student of Educational Psychology at Makerere University. She holds a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from Makerere University in Uganda.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Kobusingye, Loyce Kiiza, Moris Matembu Kipuru, Ivan Odongo Okello, and Teopisita Nabasajji. “Teacher perception of the factors influencing academic engagement among rural secondary school-Going adolescents in Kabarole District: Implications for educational practice and learner support.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 7, no.6 (2026): 638 – 652. 599-620 https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026765