FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXT

Abstract

The concept of “Student engagement” in learning has been receiving a lot of attention worldwide because it is considered as an important factor affecting the academic success of students, and it also has a significant role in assessing and improving the quality of education. Although the conceptualization of student engagement in learning varies widely according to authors and the theoretical frameworks they have adopted, there is a common agreement that concerns the multi-dimensional nature of student engagement in learning. Key dimensions of student engagement including the cognitive, behavioral, affective, and more recently, agentic engagement have been described and empirically validated. The purpose of this research was to assess and outline major factors that influence student engagement in the higher education context. In order to contribute to the existing knowledge of research and to benefit both students and educational institutions by outlining the particular aspects of learning experience that are related to student engagement in learning, a case study has been carried out, which sought to analyze the students’ learning experience as a valuable source of data. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was applied during the research. The collected data from the survey and focus-group interview allowed classifying the factors influencing the levels of student engagement among the research participants into five major groups: 1) communication, collaboration, active involvement into learning activities, and enriching educational experiences; 2) interactions between students, and between students and academic staffs; 3) levels of academic challenge; 4) supporting classroom and school environment; and 5) work integrated activities. These groups together unite factors that were found to influence the most on students’ willingness to participate and to involve in learning activities and on students’ perception of the significance of training and education, as well as on the desire of students to succeed academically.