First-Year Students’ Psychological Well-Being and Need for Cognition: Are They Important Predictors of Academic Engagement?

This study focused on the dispositions of entering first-year students, their perceptions of classroom and institutional environments, and their subsequent academic engagement. Total variance explained by variables included in the path model for academic engagement was 30%. The results of this study found evidence to support the theoretical model that environment does mediate the relationship between two personality constructs (Need for Cognition and Psychological Well-Being) and academic engagement. Results of this study provide additional evidence that the environment matters and that institutions should continue to focus on creating supportive, positive environments that foster engagement.