Considering the Relationship between Student Satisfaction and Student Engagement on Retention and Completion in Higher Education Institutions
Abstract
Research has shown that students who are satisfied with college and more engaged on campus are more likely to graduate (Astin, 1993; Kuh et al., 2008; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Schreiner & Nelson, 2013). Thus, investing in programs or services to engage students and increase satisfaction has been a focus of some institutions (Kezar et al., 2015, 2020; McClure, 2019; Webber, 2018). Despite this, little is known about how the relationship between satisfaction/engagement and completion varies across important contexts, including student subgroups (race, socioeconomic status, or academic ability) or institutional types (level or control), or about how these relationships vary when using simple measures of satisfaction and engagement. Utilizing a sample of approximately 22,500 students in the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) 12:17 cohort, I use a multivariate linear regression to provide an updated and more nuanced understanding the relationship between satisfaction and engagement and students’ retention and ultimate degree attainment. Results suggest that the relationship between satisfaction and engagement with retention and completion is stronger for certain student and institutional subgroups.
Subject Area
Higher education|Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
Gianitsis, Joshua Michael Christian, "Considering the Relationship between Student Satisfaction and Student Engagement on Retention and Completion in Higher Education Institutions" (2022). Dissertations available from ProQuest. AAI29067368.
https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI29067368