Self-Regulation and Academic Engagement among Undergraduate Students in Public Universities in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between self-regulation and academic engagement among undergraduates in public universities in Anambra State, Nigeria. The study aimed to determine the levels of self-regulation and academic engagement among students and to establish whether a significant relationship exists between the two variables. Three research questions guided the study while one null hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The theoretical framework for this study is grounded in two complementary perspectives: Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Wilmar Schaufeli’s Theory of Engagement. A descriptive correlational research design was adopted, and data were collected from 1,777 undergraduates using standardized instruments. Findings revealed that only 13 students (0.7%) exhibited low self-regulation, 496 (27.9%) demonstrated moderate self-regulation, while the majority, 1,268 (71.4%), showed high self-regulation. Similarly, 473 students (26.6%) displayed moderate academic engagement, while 1,304 (73.4%) exhibited high engagement levels, with no respondents recording low engagement scores. The correlation analysis yielded a coefficient of r = 0.428 with a p-value of 0.000, indicating a statistically significant moderate positive relationship between self-regulation and academic engagement. The study concludes that self-regulation plays a crucial role in enhancing academic engagement among undergraduates. Based on the findings, it was recommended that universities should incorporate structured programmes that teach students goal-setting, time management, and self-monitoring strategies. These can be embedded into general studies