Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university education
IntroductionSoft skills, including curiosity, initiative, perseverance, social awareness, adaptability, and leadership, are increasingly recognized as essential for fostering positive emotions and academic engagement in higher education. However, the pathways linking these skills to academic engagem...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622327/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849427131924217856 |
|---|---|
| author | Xiaoling Wang Xiaoling Wang Xiang Deng Xiang Deng Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar Rose Manisah Sulong Zaida Nor binti Zainudin Wan Norhayati Wan Othman |
| author_facet | Xiaoling Wang Xiaoling Wang Xiang Deng Xiang Deng Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar Rose Manisah Sulong Zaida Nor binti Zainudin Wan Norhayati Wan Othman |
| author_sort | Xiaoling Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionSoft skills, including curiosity, initiative, perseverance, social awareness, adaptability, and leadership, are increasingly recognized as essential for fostering positive emotions and academic engagement in higher education. However, the pathways linking these skills to academic engagement remain underexplored, especially within the Chinese university context.MethodsThis study investigated the relationships among soft skills, positive emotions, and academic engagement among 335 undergraduate students (197 females, 58.8%) from four universities in China, across faculties of Education, Literature, and Management. Standardized questionnaires assessing soft skills, positive emotions, and academic engagement dimensions (absorption, dedication, and vigor) were administered. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24. Reliability was confirmed through Cronbach's alpha (≥0.70), and construct validity was evaluated via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsCFA indicated an acceptable to excellent fit for both individual scales and the overall measurement model (χ2/df = 1.887, RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.928). Structural equation modeling (SEM) results supported hypothesized relationships, demonstrating that soft skills directly predicted academic engagement and indirectly predicted it through positive emotions. Positive emotions significantly mediated the relationship between soft skills and all dimensions of academic engagement (absorption, dedication, vigor).DiscussionThese findings underscore the importance of developing soft skills and fostering positive emotional experiences to enhance academic engagement. Aligning with sustainable development-oriented educational reforms, the results suggest that comprehensive educational approaches promoting soft skills and emotional well-being can effectively support holistic student growth and sustainable academic success. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-239b28fa2fd1492a919655ff66d730d3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-239b28fa2fd1492a919655ff66d730d32025-08-20T03:29:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-07-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.16223271622327Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university educationXiaoling Wang0Xiaoling Wang1Xiang Deng2Xiang Deng3Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar4Rose Manisah Sulong5Zaida Nor binti Zainudin6Wan Norhayati Wan Othman7Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaFaculty of Education and Psychological Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, Sichuan, ChinaFaculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaFaculty of Education and Psychological Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, Sichuan, ChinaFaculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaFaculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaFaculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaFaculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaIntroductionSoft skills, including curiosity, initiative, perseverance, social awareness, adaptability, and leadership, are increasingly recognized as essential for fostering positive emotions and academic engagement in higher education. However, the pathways linking these skills to academic engagement remain underexplored, especially within the Chinese university context.MethodsThis study investigated the relationships among soft skills, positive emotions, and academic engagement among 335 undergraduate students (197 females, 58.8%) from four universities in China, across faculties of Education, Literature, and Management. Standardized questionnaires assessing soft skills, positive emotions, and academic engagement dimensions (absorption, dedication, and vigor) were administered. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24. Reliability was confirmed through Cronbach's alpha (≥0.70), and construct validity was evaluated via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsCFA indicated an acceptable to excellent fit for both individual scales and the overall measurement model (χ2/df = 1.887, RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.928). Structural equation modeling (SEM) results supported hypothesized relationships, demonstrating that soft skills directly predicted academic engagement and indirectly predicted it through positive emotions. Positive emotions significantly mediated the relationship between soft skills and all dimensions of academic engagement (absorption, dedication, vigor).DiscussionThese findings underscore the importance of developing soft skills and fostering positive emotional experiences to enhance academic engagement. Aligning with sustainable development-oriented educational reforms, the results suggest that comprehensive educational approaches promoting soft skills and emotional well-being can effectively support holistic student growth and sustainable academic success.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622327/fullsoft skillspositive emotionsacademic engagementundergraduate studentseducation |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoling Wang Xiaoling Wang Xiang Deng Xiang Deng Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar Rose Manisah Sulong Zaida Nor binti Zainudin Wan Norhayati Wan Othman Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university education Frontiers in Psychology soft skills positive emotions academic engagement undergraduate students education |
| title | Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university education |
| title_full | Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university education |
| title_fullStr | Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university education |
| title_short | Fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions: a sustainable development perspective on university education |
| title_sort | fostering academic engagement through soft skills and positive emotions a sustainable development perspective on university education |
| topic | soft skills positive emotions academic engagement undergraduate students education |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622327/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiaolingwang fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation AT xiaolingwang fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation AT xiangdeng fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation AT xiangdeng fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation AT wanmarzukiwanjaafar fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation AT rosemanisahsulong fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation AT zaidanorbintizainudin fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation AT wannorhayatiwanothman fosteringacademicengagementthroughsoftskillsandpositiveemotionsasustainabledevelopmentperspectiveonuniversityeducation |