Effects of Psychological Safety in Classroom on Student Learning Engagement

Student engagement is a crucial determinant of academic success, and its foundation often lies in the psychological safety of the classroom. This study explores the effects of psychological safety—specifically autonomy, competence, and relatedness—on student engagement in learning activities. When these psychological needs are met, learners are presumed to be more motivated and actively involved in their education. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed at Medina College- Ozamiz City. The study utilized a self-report Likert-scale questionnaire to gather data from student respondents. Data analysis involved the use of arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient to determine the relationship between perceived psychological needs and learning engagement. Findings revealed that students perceived a high level of psychological safety, with autonomy (M=3.745), competence (M=3.833), and relatedness (M=3.813) all rated positively. Likewise, learning engagement was high, with behavioral (M=3.860), emotional (M=3.828), and cognitive engagement (M=3.755) scoring well. However, the correlation between psychological safety and student engagement was not statistically significant (r = -0.131, p = 0.153), indicating no direct relationship between the two variables. Despite students reporting both high psychological safety and engagement, the absence of a significant correlation suggests other variables may influence engagement. This highlights the complexity of educational dynamics and the potential role of mediating factors. The study underscores the importance of nurturing classroom environments that support autonomy, competence, and relatedness, even if these factors alone do not directly determine engagement.