Institutional, Discipline-Specific, and Individual Factors Related to Student Satisfaction and Engagement

• In Event: Roundtable Session 50
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding and Predicting Factors Affecting Student Engagement

Abstract

Higher education systems are increasingly using student surveys as part of benchmarking. In the UK, these include:
• The UK Engagement Survey;
• The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey;
• The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey.
We analysed these surveys to look at the following research questions:
1. What proportion of the variance in experience and engagement is explained by student, discipline, and institutional characteristics?
2. What student and organisational characteristics are related to student experience and engagement?
Three-level multilevel models were used to analyse the data. Results suggest that the vast majority of variance is explained at the individual student, rather than at the discipline or institutional levels. Females, students with disabilities and distance learners express lower levels of satisfaction and engagement.

Authors

• Daniel R. Muijs, University of Southampton

• Christian Bokhove, University of Southampton

• Alex Buckley