Academic Engagement Among Economics Students in Higher Education: A Multivariate Analysis of Academic Level and Gender-Driven Variations

Students’ academic engagement in higher education, especially in Economics, is crucial for their success. However, the interaction effect of gender and academic level on the academic engagement of Economics students remains unexplored. This study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design to examine the academic engagement of Economics students in Ghanaian higher education, with a particular focus on variations based on academic level and gender. Using a census method, the research involved 452 students from different academic levels. This study employs a census method to involve 452 students across various academic levels. Also, a “multidimensional academic engagement scale” was utilized as the data collection instrument. Descriptive (“mean and standard deviation”) and multivariate analysis of variance (“two-way MANOVA”) were used to analyze the research objectives. The study found that Economics students showed high levels of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. However, their agentic engagement was moderate. Also, the study revealed no significant variations in academic engagement based on gender and academic level. However, at the univariate level, significant differences were found in agentic engagement based on gender. In addition, there were significant differences in both behavioral and agentic engagement based on academic level. It is recommended that higher education educators, especially Economics educators, focus on creating a supportive environment to increase students’ agentic engagement.