Journal of Childhood

Introduction
Academic engagement plays a fundamental role in deepening learning and achieving desired outcomes. When students actively participate in class activities, connect with educational concepts, and feel responsible for their learning, they possess a greater potential for meaningful and sustainable learning. This engagement, encompassing various aspects such as motivation, cognition, behavior, and emotions, can be enhanced through different teaching strategies. In the experimental science lessons, which are practical and exploratory in nature, it is particularly important to create an environment where students can engage in learning with curiosity and excitement. Academic engagement is one of the variables that can significantly increase meaningful learning and lead to improved learning. Another important variable is the degree of students’ connection to school and their perceptions of the school environment. School connectedness can be defined as students’ perception that the school supports their academic efforts, maintains a fair disciplinary climate, and fosters a supportive culture. Research indicates that participatory learning can foster students' attitudes and insights, as well as essential skills for active classroom participation, thereby improving the quality of learning.
 In participatory learning, positive social experiences are created by placing students in small learning groups under conditions of positive interdependence. The theoretical framework for this educational model is constructivism. In this theory, learning is an active process where learners construct their knowledge based on their experiences and interactions with the environment. In participatory learning, instead of passively receiving information, students engage in knowledge construction through discussion, the exchange of ideas, and collaborative problem-solving. This approach makes learning deeper and more meaningful, directly correlating with the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of academic engagement, as students actively participate in learning activities and strive for deeper understanding. In this study, the hypotheses are: (a) Participatory learning positively affects primary school female students’ academic engagement, and (b) Participatory learning positively affects primary school female students’ school connectedness.

Research Methods
This is a quasi-experimental study. The study population consists of all sixth-grade primary school female students in Arak, Iran. A total of 30 students were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of intervention (n=15) and control (n=15). We utilized two primary instruments: 
- School Engagement Scale: Developed by Fredricks et al. (2004), it has 15 items and three subscales: Behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, and cognitive engagement. Responses are rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always). This questionnaire has a content validity ratio of 0.84 and a reliability of 0.86
- School Connectedness Scale: Developed by Panaghi et al. (2010), it measures school connectedness with 21 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). It includes four subscales: Belonging, commitment, engagement, and peer relationships. Content validity, assessed via CVR, was 0.90, and reliability was reported as 84%. 
The intervention program included participatory learning based on Johnson (1990)’s method at 8 sessions. The sessions were held weekly and face-to-face, and each session lasted 45 minutes. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS software, version 20. Prior to inferential analysis, assumptions of normality, homogeneity of variances, and homogeneity of regression slopes were evaluated and confirmed, permitting the use of Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to assess differences in post-test scores after controlling for pre-test scores. 

Results
The findings revealed a significant difference in mean scores of academic engagement and school connectedness between the two groups. The intervention group that received participatory learning showed a significant increase in both academic engagement and school connectedness compared to the control group, thereby supporting the research hypotheses.

Conclusion
The findings indicated that participatory learning had a positive and significant effect on students’ academic engagement and school connectedness in primary school female students. Considering the study’s limitations, such as the limited generalizability of the findings to other school grades, it is recommended that future research investigate the long-term effects of participatory learning or be conducted in higher-grade schools under varying conditions. Furthermore, the development of an “implementation guide” for participatory learning for sixth-grade school teachers and the organization of training workshops to enhance teachers’ skills in implementing this approach are recommended.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
Participants were assured of their anonymity, and participation was voluntary and based on informed consent, in accordance with ethical guidelines. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Arak University (Code: IR.ARAKU.REC.1401.087).

Funding
The article was extracted from Fatemeh Ganji's master's thesis in educational technology at the Faculty of Humanities, Arak University. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for profit sectors.

Authors contributions
Conceptualization, methodology, validation, and supervision: Bahman Yasbolaghi Sharhi; Analysis, editing & review: Sirus Mansoori; Methodology, data collection, and writing:Fatemeh Ganji.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all students who participated in this study for their cooperation.


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