Teacher credibility and learner engagement as predictors of satisfaction in nontraditional university students

Abstract

The number of nontraditional university students enrolling in university studies is currently on the rise. This group has been traditionally associated with a series of handicaps (work, family, etc.) that can somehow hinder their academic career. For the integration and permanence of nontraditional students in the university, factors such as teacher credibility, engagement and academic satisfaction are related to the academic performance of university students. The objectives of this research consisted in  comparing the levels of satisfaction of nontraditional students with respect to traditional students and, in analysing the contribution of teacher credibility and learner engagement to the explanation of student satisfaction in both types of students. 483 students from the University of Cádiz participated in the study. They were administered the Credibility Scale in University Instructors, the Classroom Engagement Scale and the Academic Satisfaction Scale. For the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics were carried out and multiple linear regression models of academic satisfaction on the variables of teacher credibility and learner engagement were developed. The obtained findings show that there are no significant differences in the level of satisfaction of nontraditional students with respect to traditional students. Moreover, emotional engagement, the perception of teacher goodwill and cognitive engagement predict student satisfaction of nontraditional students. Finally, emotional engagement, agentic engagement and the perception of teacher competence predict student satisfaction of traditional students. The importance of teacher credibility and learner engagement in the satisfaction of university students is highlighted and practical recommendations are proposed to enhance it.