REPRESENTATION OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT INDICATORS – STUDENT AND FACULTY PERCEPTION

Abstract

Student engagement is a new concept and phenomenon in the Republic of Serbia system of higher education as an essential element of the modern paradigm, student-centered education. Transformation of pedagogic, didactic, and methodical approaches leads to the student becoming an active participant in his own development. This process implies a prominent level of responsiveness to higher education institutions, faculty, and students. The main goal of this research is to identify individual indicators of student engagement and to determine the dominant indicators. Two instruments were adapted and used to collect data on the indicators of student engagement in the higher education context, College Student Report (NSSE) and a Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE). The mentioned questionnaires are complementary and provide insight into student engagement from the perspective of students and teachers. The research sample consisted of 632 students and faculty from different higher education institutions of the University of Niš, Serbia. The work was based on the NSSE theoretical concept and the results compared to similar research in different national contexts. The results indicate that the examined students perceive the higher education institution primarily as a place where they can express their opinion, exchange it with others and take the best from these interactions to build their personality. The role of relations and the partnership in construction of knowledge and meaning are emphasized. According to the data, the respondents estimated that the dominant role in their studies is played by the relationships they achieve in the institution. Therefore, the interaction that takes place in institutions can be of crucial importance for positive or negative experiences that students associate with the process of studying. The interviewed faculties gave relatively high evaluations to the presented areas and indicators. Within the categories, professors and associates are unique in assessing that effective teaching is the dominant indicator of student engagement. These data are in accordance with the quality improvement strategy at the institutions included in this research, in which the primary strengths are precisely teacher competencies.