Impact of Positive Personal Traits on University Student Engagement in Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador

Abstract

A large number of determinants influence the academic engagement of university students. However, positive influences that can be encouraged by the university have not been thoroughly studied. Most psychological research has been conducted in developed countries. Given the importance of understanding and encouraging university students in Latin America, it is essential to increase the quantity of research focused on personal traits and their association with better performance by university students. Two positive traits that have been shown to improve performance in a variety of areas are emotional intelligence and orientation to happiness. However, little is known about the relationship between these two positive aspects and university student engagement. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of emotional intelligence and orientation to happiness on university student engagement in three Latin American countries: Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador. A total of 621 students answered a quantitative instrument that evaluates the three variables of interest. A model of structural equations was carried out in order to verify the direct impact that emotional intelligence and orientation to happiness have on university student engagement. The model explained 38% of the variance of university student engagement, indicating that these two positive personal traits can enhance interest and performance in scholarly activities by university students. Higher education in Latin America often focuses on increasing the knowledge of their students; however, these results indicate that promoting personal development, such as greater orientation toward happiness and emotional intelligence, can produce better results.

Orientations to Happiness and University Students’ Engagement during the COVID-19 Era: Evidence from Six American Countries

“…Student's engagement. The University Student´s Engagement Inventory was used (Maroco et al, 2016); this instrument has been previously implemented in Latin America populations (Durón-Ramos et al, 2020). Participants responded to the questions using a Likert-type scale of 5 points (1 = Never -5 = Always).…”

“…Student success is also influenced by their participation in co-curricular activities which help create stronger bonds to their academic interests. There is empirical evidence that school performance and engagement are influenced by positive personal aspects (Durón-Ramos et al, 2020) including well-being (Boulton et al, 2019), emotional intelligence (Libbrecht et al, 2014), and orientations to happiness (Sattar et al, 2017).…”

Assessment of Cognitive Student Engagement Using Heart Rate Data in Distance Learning during COVID-19

“…In Colombia and Latin America, as some researchers stated, the investigations regarding education and student engagement have focused on the following topics: study habits and motivation for distance learning [48], academic dropout and its relationship with the student's conditions and the organizational context of the academic institution [49] the relationship between student engagement and academic performance determined through the academic average [50], and the relationship that emotional intelligence and happiness orientation have with student engagement [51].…”

Mini Review on the Importance of Positive Psychology in Education

“…The information is presented according to the three pillars of positive psychology: a) positive subjective experiences, which includes the studying of positive emotions, happiness, and wellbeing; b) positive individual traits, meaning the abilities of human beings, such as virtues and strengths; c) positive institutions, referring to the incorporation of positive experiences or traits in a particular institution, in this case, the focus will be schools [3]. Some evidence suggests that positive psychology could serve as a pathway to improve student's experience in school, such as engagement and learning [7,8]. In addition, it could diminish bad aspects present in an educational context, such as bullying and victimization [9].…”