Students' Sense of Coherence, Study Engagement and Self-Efficacy in Relation to their Study and Employability Satisfaction

Abstract

This study reports on students' sense of coherence, study engagement and self-efficacy in relation to their satisfaction with current studies and employability. Participants included a convenience sample of 127 employed adult learners enrolled for third year level open distance learning (ODL) undergraduate studies in industrial and organisational psychology. A quantitative survey approach was followed, collecting primary data. Data analysis consisted of correlational and standard multiple regression analyses. The results revealed students' dedication to and perceived meaningfulness of undergraduate studies as significant predictors of their study and employability satisfaction. The participants' self-efficacy did not relate significantly to their satisfaction with their current studies and employability. These findings contribute new knowledge that could be used to inform the design of learner support interventions aimed at increasing students' motivational levels in the open distance learning context.

Examining the Mediating Effect of Open Distance Learning Students' Study Engagement in Relation to Their Life Orientation and Self-Efficacy

“…Strydom, Kuh, and Mentz (2010) regard high levels of student engagement as important for enhancing student success. Coetzee and Oosthuizen (2012) found ODL students' study engagement to be significantly related to their satisfaction with their studies. Research by De Villiers (2009) indicates a positive and significant relationship between individuals' dedication and their sense meaningfulness (sense of coherence).…”

“…However, there seems to be a paucity of research on how ODL students' life orientation or general attitude toward the world and their work and personal lives influence their study engagement and self-efficacy. These psychological attributes seem to be important for students to succeed in an ODL context (Coetzee & Oosthuizen, 2012). In this study, we were especially interested in examining the mediating effect of ODL students' study engagement in relation to their life orientation and self-efficacy.…”

“…Absorption refers to the cognitive aspect where individuals are fully focused on something and experience a high level of concentration while performing a task. This includes being happily engrossed in one's work, so that time seems to pass quickly and one has difficulties in detaching oneself from work (Coetzee & Oosthuizen, 2012;Coetzer & Rothmann, 2007;Marx, 2011). High levels of energetic involvement with work or a task (such as studies) build professional efficacy (De Villiers, 2009).…”

“…Academics involved in teaching, learning and assessment design need to help students see the meaningfulness of the learning and assessment activities they need to engage in and how these fit in with the overall course curriculum, and the students' professional career goals, personal and work lives (Coetzee & Oosthuizen, 2012). Developing a sense of meaningfulness is considered the most important component in a person's life orientation; without it, life is experienced as a burden (Louw et al, 2012).…”

“…However, increasing students' sense of coherence (comprehensibility and meaningfulness) seems to be a precursor to increasing their study engagement levels. Helping ODL students' make cognitive sense of their studies (comprehensibility) and enhancing the meaningfulness thereof by helping them to see how their studies fit into their personal and work lives and that it is worthy of investment, commitment and engagement (Coetzee & Oosthuizen, 2012) appear to be important in enhancing their engagement in their studies. Lee, Puig, Kim, Shin, Lee, and Lee (2010) also found that highly engaged students have higher levels of academic efficacy and lower levels of exhaustion and cynicism.…”