Impact of Teaching and Learning Environment on Student Engagement: Moderating Effect of Education Technology Adaption in Higher Education in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The student engagement concept has been a key determinant in the success of a higher education. Student engagement is proven to have multiple benefits to an academic institution where it has positive influence on the student satisfaction, academic performance, retention and overall loyalty towards the institution. However, what influence the student engagement needed further investigation. Therefore, this study is an attempt investigate the influencing variable of the student engagement in the higher education institution in Sri Lanka. Further this study extends its investigation on the education technology and its moderating influence over the student engagement. Based on the theoretical guidance of theory of involvement and the child development theory of Bioecological model, the student engagement has been investigated from the learning and teaching environment perspective. In the teaching and learning environment four variables namely Teaching, Teacher- Student Relationship, StudentPeer relationship and campus environment was investigated against the cognitive, affective and behavioral engagement of students. The study also integrated the education technology through the technology adaption model for the moderation influence over the student engagement. Empirical investigation was performed on state and non-state undergraduate and postgraduate students and, it was evident that the student engagement has been influenced by the teaching and learning environment variables. Out of the variables Teaching variable have scored significantly with the higher coefficient value followed by Student Peer Relationship and Campus Environment. The teacher- student relationship has shown less significant in the outcome. The moderation variable of education technology has shown a significant contribution to the overall model fitness.