The Role of Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction on University Students’ Engagement

Abstract

Student engagement in academic and non-academic activities on campus is very important for student success in academic and social fields. Self-esteem and life satisfaction have a role in increasing student engagement. This research aims to determine the extent of the simultaneous role of self-esteem and life satisfaction in the student engagement of active university students in Bandung City. The respondents of this research were 397 active university students in Bandung City. The measurement tool used to measure student engagement was USEI (University Student Engagement Inventory). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used to measure self-esteem, while the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SLWS) was used to measure life satisfaction. The statistical analysis technique used was Multiple Regression to calculate the simultaneous role of life satisfaction and self-esteem on student engagement. The data processing results showed that life satisfaction and self-esteem simultaneously or partially play a positive role in university students’ engagement. When university students have self-esteem and life satisfaction together, their role in student engagement is greater than their respective roles in student engagement. Apart from that, self-esteem plays a bigger role than life satisfaction toward student engagement. Practically, parents and lecturers can provide experiences that support the development of university students' self-esteem and satisfaction with their lives so that it can increase student engagement.