Resumen de Building pathways to engagement: a longitudinal study of future work self-salience, consideration of future consequences, and student learning engagement

Yutong Liu, Mingyu Li, Quan Yi, Xin Zhang

• Student learning engagement is critical for educational progress and individual growth. This 18-month longitudinal study, guided by the goal-setting theory, explores how students’ Future Work Self-Salience affects their learning engagement and examines the mediating effect of their Consideration of Future Consequences, based on data collected from 665 high school students over three waves. The findings demonstrate that Consideration of Future Consequences is a critical mediator, with its positive influence on student learning engagement increasing over time. The positive predictive effect of Future Work Self-Salience on future student learning engagement gradually emerges and becomes more pronounced as time progresses, but over time, the direct effect of Future Work Self-Salience on learning engagement becomes more significant as its influence on Consideration of Future Consequences diminishes. Implications for school leaders and policymakers are discussed.