THE ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING GENERIC SKILLS AMONG UNDERGRADUATES

Abstract

In tertiary education, student engagement is widely recognized as the most essential component because it fosters critical thinking and work-related generic skills among undergraduates, preparing them for diverse professional challenges. This study aims to explore the role of various dimensions of student engagement in the development of generic skills among undergraduates. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to collect data from 617 students enrolled in public-sector universities in Sindh province, Pakistan, using a questionnaire survey. Findings reveal that students not only reported low levels of engagement across emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and social dimensions but also communicated low levels of generic skills. This study also found that all four dimensions of student engagement have made a significant contribution towards the development of generic skills. Among these dimensions, emotional engagement was identified as the strongest effects, stressing the significance of students’ affective reactions to learning experiences, motivation, interest, enjoyment, and integration in the academic surroundings in tertiary education. The study submits that university administration should promote effective student engagement policies for observable activities and tasks, increase motivation, interests, manage emotions, improve teacher and peer interactions by adapting deep learning strategies and reflective learning techniques, which leads to higher levels of generic skill development.