The impacts of student engagement on grade point average and self-reported gains in practical skills among first-year international students at an urban private university

The purpose of this study was to examine freshmen international student perceptions of engagement at a private, 4-year University in the northeast and the association of these perceptions with self-reported gains in practical skills and institution-reported GPA. Data of this non-experimental study were collected via NSSE survey. The NSSE data of 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012 at the studied institution were used for the purpose of this study. Five benchmark scales were used as independent variables. Dependent variables were derived from survey questions to assess self-reported gains in practical skills, including (a) Writing clearly and effectively, (b) Speaking clearly and effectively, (c) Thinking critically and analytically, (d) Working effectively with others, (e) Solving complex real-world problems. Another dependent variable was institution-reported GPA during their first academic year. The results indicated that five engagement variables were positively and significantly correlated with dependent variables. However, not all engagement variables were best predictors of dependent variables.