Relationship between Engagement and Satisfaction among Seniors at a Mid-South Land Grant University

Data from the 2013 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were analyzed to determine the relationship between the 10 NSSE engagement indicators and student satisfaction for seniors (n = 1200) attending a mid-south land grant university. Seniors reported engaging in 7 of 10 indicators often or quite a bit and rated an eighth indicator, Quality of Interactions, as good. Seniors reported only sometimes engaging in Quantitative Reasoning and Student-Faculty Interactions. Each of the 10 engagement indicators had a significant positive correlation with student satisfaction, with correlations ranging from 0.12 (Discussions with Diverse Others) to 0.53 (Quality of Interactions). Robust multiple regression revealed a linear combination of three engagement indicators: 1) Quality of Interactions, 2) Supportive Environment, and 3) Effective Teaching Practices; these indicators explained a significant portion of the variance (R[superscript 2] = 0.334) in student satisfaction. Squared semipartial correlations indicated Quality of Interactions (8.4%) explained the largest percentage of unique variance in student satisfaction, followed by Supportive Environment (4.5%), and Effective Teaching Practices (1.1%). These results confirmed the importance of positive student-staff-faculty relationships, quality student support services, and good teaching practices in promoting student satisfaction.