Exploring the Relationship between Student Engagement and Common Business Knowledge: A Pilot Study

This study examined the extent to which student engagement is associated with a traditional assessment of student knowledge. In this study, ETS Business Major Field Test (MFT) scores were compared to student's self-reported survey responses to specific questions on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Areas of the NSSE survey such as Level of Academic Challenge, Active and Collaborative Learning, Enriching Educational Experience, Higher-Order Thinking, Integration of Diversity into Coursework were included in the study. Grade Point Average (GPA) was also compared to MFT scores and NSSE items. While the sample size was small from one institution (41 students), a number of measures of student engagement were showing signs of linkages to higher MFT scores.