Student Engagement and Academic Performance in the Colombian University Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7203/relieve.20.2.4238Keywords:
Student dropout, retention, higher education, student engagement, academic performance, NSSE, academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus environment
Abstract
Despite the increase in Latin America of Higher Education coverage, grave dropout problems persist that question the role of educational experiences to foster students’ academic engagement. This study was carried out in Colombia and sought to establish the relationship between the five benchmarks that compose academic engagement and the academic performance of a group of Colombian university students. The transversal and correlational study used the Spanish version of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) that measures students’ level of participation in five dimensions: Academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus environment and its relationship to academic performance. The findings of 1906 students from 7 universities indicate that there are statistically significant, but weak correlations between the items that compose the benchmarks and students’ academic performance, which lead to reflect upon key aspects to strengthen the education experiences offered to university students.
Author Biographies
Clelia Pineda-Báez, Universidad de La Sabana
José-Javier Bermúdez, Universidad de La Sabana
Ángela Rubiano-Bello, Universidad de La Sabana
Natalia Pava-García, Universidad de La Sabana
Rodrigo Suárez-García, Universidad de La Sabana
Fabián Cruz-Becerra, Universidad de La Sabana
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