Introversion and Social Engagement: Scale Validation, Their Interaction, and Positive Association With Self-Esteem

Sanna Tuovinen; Xin Tang; Katariina Salmela-Aro

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590748

Introversion and Social Engagement: Scale Validation, Their Interaction, and Positive Association With Self-Esteem

Front Psychol. 2020 Nov 30:11:590748. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590748. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Sanna Tuovinen¹, Xin Tang^{2

1}, Katariina Salmela-Aro¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
² School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.

Abstract

Learning through social interaction has been documented widely; however, how introverted people are socially engaged in learning is largely unknown. The aim of this study was, first, to examine the reliability and validity of the social engagement scale among students at Finnish comprehensive schools. Then, we aimed to examine the interaction effect of introversion and social engagement on self-esteem, schoolwork engagement, and school burnout. Based on a sample of 862 ninth grade students in Finland, we found that a two-factor model best fitted the social engagement scale (i.e., social engagement and social disengagement). Further, we found that introverts with high social engagement have higher self-esteem than introverts with low social engagement. Our results implied that introverts should be given extra support when they encounter group work in school.

Keywords: academic engagement; adolescent; engagement; high school; school engagement; social engagement; student engagement; well-being.