Influence of Psychological Capital on Student Engagement in The Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies, The Maldives National University
Abstract
The tertiary education expectations differ for students entering university life. Successfully navigating student life in a tertiary education setting requires students to be equipped with the necessary coping skills and to be adequately engaged with studies for a meaningful study experience. The study aimed to examine the relationship between Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and Student Engagement (SE) among students at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies, The Maldives National University. PsyCap consists of four dimensions: Hope, Efficacy, Resilience and Optimism (HERO) that can be developed, managed, and measured to improve the performance of a student. Student engagement consists of Affective and Cognitive engagement and is the student’s connection with the educational establishment, peers, faculty, and learning in general. Therefore, understanding PsyCap and its relationship with SE can be imperative in creating a favourable learning environment for students in higher education settings. The study employed a quantitative research design by employing a survey method. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between PsyCap and SE, and multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive influence of PsyCap on individual dimensions of SE. A total of 134 students enrolled on various academic programs at FHTS-MNU were surveyed to gather the data. Upon analysing the data, it was found that PsyCap had a moderate positive relationship with SE. The dimensions that most contributed to SE were Optimism and Resilience. Furthermore, it was found that PsyCap contributed more to Cognitive student engagement than to Affective engagement. The findings highlight key areas for consideration in curriculum design, teaching strategies, and the development of learning materials. The research also facilitates further research into how PsyCap can be enhanced to attain adequate SE.