Crossover of Engagement Among Academic Staff and Students During COVID-19

PURPOSE: Globally, the pandemic had adverse consequences on the engagement and overall well-being of individuals. From a positive psychological perspective, this study drew on processes of social exchange, Kahn’s theory on personal engagement and crossover theory, to explore the impact of mutual influences among academic staff and students on the engagement of both parties. Subsequently, the study explored the positive outcomes of engagement for both academic staff and students. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Purposive, non-probability sampling was used, and cross-sectional data were collected through electronic surveys. The sample consisted of a total of 1594 students who were nested within 160 academic staff members. RESULTS: Findings highlighted the influence of interpersonal factors such as high student leader–member exchange on student engagement and the impact of students’ lack of reciprocity on the emotional engagement of academic staff. Findings further revealed that student engagement was positively related to a deep-learning approach and negatively related to a surface-learning approach. Furthermore, this study found a positive significant association between the emotional engagement and the psychological well-being of academic staff. CONCLUSION: Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce the negative psychological and behavioural challenges resulting from the pandemic, this research intended to inform policy-makers in higher education of the impact that mutual influences among academic staff and students have on their engagement and the benefits of engagement in cultivating a culture of life-long learning among students and improving the psychological well-being of academic staff.