The effects of self‐efficacy, hope, and engagement on the academic achievement of secondary education in the Dominican Republic

Abstract Achievement in the academic settings has long lasting positive outcomes. In this study, hope, self‐efficacy, and engagement are linked to academic success. The aims of this study were to test a model which predicts academic success in the Dominican Republic while testing for the mediator role of engagement. The sample was composed of 614 middle‐school students. Scales of Dispositional Hope, Academic Self‐Efficacy, Academic Self‐concept, and Engagement were used. Academic performance was measured with students' grades in Spanish and Mathematics. Three structural equation models were tested. The retained model stated hope and self‐efficacy as antecedents, engagement dimensions as mediators and grades and academic self‐concept as final outcomes. There were significant effects of hope and self‐efficacy on engagement, and behavioral engagement was the best predictor of academic success. These results point out that interventions should target variables, such as hope or engagement to increase academic success.