Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Srđan Zdravković
Second Faculty Advisor
Jacqueline Saslawski
Keywords
student engagement; extracurricular organizations; marketing
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC-BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Opportunities for extracurricular engagement are an essential component of the value proposition of many colleges and universities, yet students do not always take advantage of these experiences. Previous studies have identified important elements of engagement, as well as best practices to improve it, but are largely contextual and not easily applicable to other instances of organizational engagement. Existing research also fails to establish a consistent definition or perception of engagement. Using a complex synthesis of available literature, as well as focus interviews conducted within the target population at Bryant University, we can derive the individual dimensions of engagement to establish a consistent definition that is not only applicable to most organizational engagement contexts, but also allows us to make informed recommendations to improve and evaluate extracurricular engagement at the University. Findings reveal that engagement is a dynamic relationship between an individual and an organization that comprises nine interdependent dimensions: awareness, interest, participation, contribution, interaction, retention, satisfaction, dedication, and commitment. These dimensions can be applied to remove barriers to engagement and to develop a method to evaluate engagement for continuous improvement.
