The Role of Emotions in the University Classroom: Implications for Engagement and Dropout Prevention

Abstract

Educational engagement is defined as the level of involvement, effort, and dedication that students show toward their academic activities, which is reflected in their willingness to become actively involved in the learning process. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of emotions in mediating between cognitive factors, such as motivation and personal values, and engagement. It also aimed to examine how emotions influence dropout intentions in higher education. The Mixed Multifactorial Scale of Educational Engagement (EMMEE) was administered to a sample of 692 students. The results were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart PLS 4 software. The findings show how motivation and personal values affect emotions, especially positive emotions, and how these emotions affect educational engagement, which reduces dropout intentions. The findings contribute to extending the theoretical framework of the academic engagement construct, contextualizing it within the university setting. They also highlight the central role of positive emotions as a particularly important dimension through which motivation and personal values influence engagement. The results underscore the need to implement methods, resources, and diverse approaches that foster motivation in higher education institutions. This study suggests strategies that should be considered in both dropout prevention plans and student retention policies.