Unpacking student engagement and its mediating role in predicting the relationship between self-determination and academic satisfaction among undergraduate students in higher education

Student academic satisfaction, engagement, and self-determination are increasingly being considered in higher education research, as they are crucial concepts for understanding student achievement and well-being. However, exploring how these constructs interact with each other remains underexplored. Hence, this study explores how undergradute students' perception of self-determination relates to their engagement and academic satisfaction in higher education, particulaly emphasizing the mediating role of student engagement. Using a correlational study design, the study involved 508 undergraduate students selected by a multistage stratified sampling method. Data was collected using a questionnaire, and the data collected was then analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The analysis revealed that students who feel more self-determined tend to experience higher levels of engagement and academic satisfaction with their educational experience. Moreover, student engagement was found to play a significant mediating role in explaining the relationship between self-determination and academic satisfaction, indicating that part of this association is enhanced through engagement. This demonstrates that students who feel self-determined are more likely to engage deeply with their academic tasks, and this heightened engagement is subsequently associated with greater academic satisfaction. These findings highlight the importance of fostering self-determination and engagement so that educational institutions can better increase their students’ academic satisfaction.