A Study of Factors Influencing College Students' Engagement and Retention in Learning

College students' learning engagement and retention is an important part of cultivating talents, which is the cornerstone of quality and sustainable development of colleges and universities. This study starts from students' learning engagement and retention, and investigates the six dimensions of learning engagement and retention - independent learning, environmental interaction, teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, self-motivation, and learning retention - based on the academic situation of college students. It was found that a superior learning environment enhances students' learning initiative, thus increasing learning engagement. Students' self-internal drive and initiative have a stronger effect on students' learning engagement and retention. Therefore, teaching methods can be optimized to improve the learning environment for students and support teachers in encouraging students.