Date of Defense
25-11-2025 12:00 PM
Location
H1-0067
Document Type
Dissertation Defense
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education
College
CEDU
Department
Language and Literacy
First Advisor
Dr. Sultan Alsuwaidi
Keywords
UAE, federal universities, faculty–student interactions, student retention, sense of belonging, student engagement, self-confidence, quantitative research, policy development, student support services.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of faculty-student interaction (FSI) in influencing students' social and academic outcomes and success. In particular, this study sought to investigate the impact of the informal interactions between faculty members and their students outside the classroom on four student outcomes: sense of belonging (SB), engagement (EG), self-confidence (SC), and retention (RT). The participants were 570 undergraduate students who were at their first- and second-year of study from three different UAE federal higher education institutions. The study employed quantitative research design while utilizing an online survey as the main data collection instrument. For data analysis, both PLS-SEM and multiple machine learning algorithms were used to examine the correlation between the research variables. The findings supported all proposed research hypotheses and demonstrated that FSI has significant positive effects on SB (β = 0.599, p < 0.001), EG (β = 0.666, p < 0.001), SC (β = 0.585, p < 0.001), and RT (β = 0.604, p < 0.001), confirming its central role in influencing student success in UAE higher education. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for federal universities in the UAE, where faculty–student formal and informal engagement play a critical role in students’ success. It also suggests that academic institutions should implement formal policies and effective strategies to support faculty-student interaction outside the classroom and invest in faculty development and student-centered services tailored to the local context of the UAE.
Included in
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF FACULTY–STUDENT INTERACTIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM ON THE SENSE OF BELONGING, ENGAGEMENT, SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND RETENTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN UAE FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES
H1-0067
The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of faculty-student interaction (FSI) in influencing students' social and academic outcomes and success. In particular, this study sought to investigate the impact of the informal interactions between faculty members and their students outside the classroom on four student outcomes: sense of belonging (SB), engagement (EG), self-confidence (SC), and retention (RT). The participants were 570 undergraduate students who were at their first- and second-year of study from three different UAE federal higher education institutions. The study employed quantitative research design while utilizing an online survey as the main data collection instrument. For data analysis, both PLS-SEM and multiple machine learning algorithms were used to examine the correlation between the research variables. The findings supported all proposed research hypotheses and demonstrated that FSI has significant positive effects on SB (β = 0.599, p < 0.001), EG (β = 0.666, p < 0.001), SC (β = 0.585, p < 0.001), and RT (β = 0.604, p < 0.001), confirming its central role in influencing student success in UAE higher education. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for federal universities in the UAE, where faculty–student formal and informal engagement play a critical role in students’ success. It also suggests that academic institutions should implement formal policies and effective strategies to support faculty-student interaction outside the classroom and invest in faculty development and student-centered services tailored to the local context of the UAE.