Student engagement and wellbeing over time at a higher education institution

PLoS One. 2019 Nov 27;14(11):e0225770. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225770. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Student engagement is an important factor for learning outcomes in higher education. Engagement with learning at campus-based higher education institutions is difficult to quantify due to the variety of forms that engagement might take (e.g. lecture attendance, self-study, usage of online/digital systems). Meanwhile, there are increasing concerns about student wellbeing within higher education, but the relationship between engagement and wellbeing is not well understood. Here we analyse results from a longitudinal survey of undergraduate students at a campus-based university in the UK, aiming to understand how engagement and wellbeing vary dynamically during an academic term. The survey included multiple dimensions of student engagement and wellbeing, with a deliberate focus on self-report measures to capture students' subjective experience. The results show a wide range of engagement with different systems and study activities, giving a broad view of student learning behaviour over time. Engagement and wellbeing vary during the term, with clear behavioural changes caused by assessments. Results indicate a positive interaction between engagement and happiness, with an unexpected negative relationship between engagement and academic outcomes. This study provides important insights into subjective aspects of the student experience and provides a contrast to the increasing focus on analysing educational processes using digital records.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Achievement*
  • Curriculum
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Learning / physiology*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Sex Factors
  • Students / psychology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Task Performance and Analysis*
  • Universities / statistics & numerical data*

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Effective Learning Analytics project at the University of Exeter. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.