The Relationship Between Student Engagement Variables and Academic Performance among Students Enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States

Student engagement patterns on and off campus have been widely researched among institutions of higher education. Administrators at these institutions are concerned with the impact engagement patterns have on students' academic performance. This study examined previous research that evaluates the relationship of student engagement and academic performance from multiple perspectives. The literature review examined concepts regarding historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and their effects on the relationship of engagement and academics. Engagement can be influenced by barriers of entry that undergraduate students face, and can also affect their performance in college. Researchers and educators must determine what these historically Black institutions can offer to capture and retain students during the first year of matriculation to ensure successful academic performance and engagement patterns. Specifically, the research questions explored were: (a) Is there a significant relationship between the frequency of co-curricular activities and self-reported modal academic performance? (b) Is there a significant relationship between students' quality of relationships with other students, faculty members, and administrative personnel and students' self-reported modal academic performance? And (c) Do demographic factors and type of university attended (HBCU vs. non-HBCU) impact the relationship between perceived level of educational experiences and self-reported modal academic performance? These questions were explored using descriptive, chi-square, and multinomial logistic regression analyses to investigate the relationship of engagement variables and self-reported modal academic performance of undergraduates attending historically Black colleges and universities with data collected by the National Survey of Student Engagement. The research found that the amount of time spent participating in co-curricular activities and positive relationships with faculty and administrative personnel have a significant impact on academic performance. There was no significant difference among students who attended historically Black colleges verses their peers at non-HBCU institutions.