Lecturers’ Feedback, Students’ Psychology Variables and Students’ Engagement in Economics: The Moderating Role of Students’ Gender

Abstract

This study modelled the influence of lecturers’ feedback and students’ psychological variables on students’ engagement as moderated by students’ gender. The data were collected from 400 students who responded to feedback, self-efficacy, motivation, interest, and engagement questionnaires. Path diagrams and path coefficients were used to answer research questions. Hypotheses were tested with the average path coefficient (APC), average R-squared (ARS), and average adjusted R-squared (AARS). This study found that the causal model for explaining students’ engagement is a recursive model involving lecturers’ feedback and students’ psychological variables. The study found that the composite effects of lecturers’ feedback and students’ psychological variables explained 69% of the variation in students’ engagement in learning economics. In addition, this study revealed that the most significant variable that affected students’ engagement in this model was self-efficacy, followed by interest and motivation. In addition, lecturers’ feedback positively and significantly affected all psychological variables as well as students’ engagement in this model. Finally, the moderating effect of gender was not significant with respect to students’ engagement. Based on this study’s findings, lecturers should consider students’ psychological variables when providing feedback. Also, seminars and workshops should be organized for economics lecturers to improve feedback quality.