Modelling Undergraduate Student Engagement in China

Against the background of the international audit culture and the associated higher education league tables, student engagement has become a pervasive indicator for measuring the education quality of institutions. This paper reports findings from a study investigating undergraduate student engagement at a Chinese university. Data were collected through questionnaire survey, individual interview and group interview methods. Survey findings will be the focus of attention of this paper. Five factors emerged from an exploratory factor analysis of the data: Effective Teaching Practices, Personal Development, Supportive Campus Environment, Collaborative, Reflective & Integrative Learning, and Quality of Interactions (Student-Staff). Models about students’ engagement and experiences (academic and non-academic) were developed on the basis of these factors and two background variables (School and Year), using a multi-model building strategy. The findings contribute to the dominant paradigm of student engagement by specifying the magnitude of significant indicators mediating different aspects of students’ engagement and experiences, and will inform the future policies and practices of institutions.