Do Institutions Matter in Student Engagement? A Comparison of Engagement Between Two Universities in Different Contexts

Abstract

The impact of academic engagement on student attrition has been extensively studied over the years. Tinto’s Model of Student Attrition suggests that engagement is a key predictor of student dropout while highlighting the
importance of understanding how the environment affects engagement.
However, there have been limited studies on this relationship in lower-income countries. To address this gap, we conducted a survey of two samples from universities in the United States and Bolivia to assess for significant differences.
Our results from a two-by-two factorial multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicate that there are significant differences in engagement levels between the two groups, suggesting that the institutional environment may play a role in student engagement.