A STUDY TO FIND OUT THE IMPACT OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON THE PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF COLLEGE-LEVEL ENGINEERS: A STUDY OF CHINESE PRIVATE COLLEGE ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Abstract

Using the translated and culturally adapted Chinese version of the Postsecondary Student Engagement Survey (PosSES 2.1), this study aimed to investigate the primary characteristics of engineering college students' involvement in out-of-class activities (OA) at one private college in China. Results from a poll of 283 senior engineering students on their emotional investment in the project and their assessments of its good and negative results are presented in this article. Positive outcomes may be significantly impacted by engagement at all levels, according to the data. Affective engagement among engineering students varies significantly by active participation type, degree, and hours. Negative consequences are significantly influenced by the number of OA in which students were participated, although emotional involvement was unaffected. In addition, there was a robust association between emotional investment and beneficial consequences. Colleges and universities, educators and legislators, and engineering students should pay attention to the quality of OA engagement rather than the number, according to these results, which underlined the value of participation in OA. In addition, the research offers descriptive statistics based on the information participants provided on the factors that encourage and discourage participation outside of class. Learning outcomes and student involvement have been the primary foci of the extant Chinese literature. Nonetheless, this research establishes emotional engagement as a substantial component of student engagement metrics in engineering education, and it also gives proof that OA participation is a realistic route to the growth of engineering college students in China.