Students’ Engagement and Study Habits in Student-Active Early Childhood Teacher Education

This study explores the interplay between students’ perceived competence, engagement, study habits, and academic outcomes among early childhood student teachers in a flipped classroom mathematics course in Norway. A quantitative longitudinal study was conducted with 350 early childhood education students who completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of the academic year. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. The following model was evaluated with the dataset: High perceived competence enhances students’ emotional engagement, leading to positive feelings of interest and enjoyment in learning activities. Students with high perceived competence are more likely to develop effective study habits, such as consistent reading and proactive learning. Conversely, low perceived competence can lead to behavioural withdrawal and poor academic performance. Emotional engagement energises behavioural and agentic engagement. When emotionally engaged, students are more likely to pay attention, participate actively, and contribute constructively to the learning process. Good study habits often result from high perceived competence and are reinforced by consistent behavioural and agentic engagement. Effective study habits should directly improve academic outcomes by ensuring students are well-prepared and actively engaged in the learning process inside and outside the classroom.