Student engagement in public universities in Ethiopia: University students’, instructors’, and officials’ perspectives

Student engagement is conceptualized differently in different contexts and educational levels. The conception of student engagement in the Ethiopian context is not well established. To examine conceptions and practical experiences related to student engagement, we conducted a qualitative study of university students, instructors, and officials. Using topic guides prepared for this purpose, we carried out focus group discussions with 84 students (8 FGDs). In addition, 40 instructors and 20 officials were interviewed using a semi structured questionnaire. Perspectives of participants were analyzed using a codebook approach to thematic analysis. The findings indicated that conceptions of engagement span from studying for examination to involvement on non-academic activities such as participating in clubs. In terms of the level of engagement, participants believe that the overall status of student engagement is not satisfactory. In connection with this, the facilitators of and barriers to student engagement were identified. Among the facilitators, good laboratory and library resources, instructional methods, tutorials and friendly university environments and policies are worth mentioning. The major barriers to student engagement are grouped under macro, meso and micro levels, such as the political and economic situation of the country, the declining value for education, placement in universities and excessive social media use. The study contributes to policymakers, researchers, and practitioners working on higher education, specifically on ways of improving the engagement levels of public university students.