ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Positive Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622327
Fostering Academic Engagement through Soft Skills and Positive Emotions: A Sustainable Development Perspective on University Education
Provisionally accepted
- Putra Malaysia University, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
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This study explores the relationships between soft skills, positive emotions, and academic engagement among 335 undergraduate students (197 females, 58.8%) from four universities in China, spanning three faculties: Education, Literature, and Management. Standardized instruments were employed to assess soft skills (curiosity, initiative, perseverance, social awareness, adaptability, and leadership), positive emotions, and academic engagement (absorption, dedication, and vigor). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24. Reliability and validity analyses confirmed the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.70) and construct validity of all measures. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) demonstrated an acceptable to excellent model fit for individual scales and the overall measurement model (χ²/df = 1.887, RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.928). Structural equation modeling (SEM) further validated the hypothesized relationships, with fit indices meeting recommended thresholds. The findings reveal that soft skills play a dual role in fostering academic engagement both directly and indirectly through positive emotions. Moreover, positive emotions mediate the relationship between soft skills and the three dimensions of academic engagement: absorption, dedication, and vigor. Underscoring the importance of cultivating soft skills and positive emotions aligns with sustainable development-oriented educational reforms aimed at promoting holistic student growth and long-term academic success.
Keywords: Soft skills, Positive emotions, Academic engagement, undergraduate students, Education
Received: 03 May 2025; Accepted: 12 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Deng, Zainudin, WAN JAAFAR and Wan Othman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiaoling Wang, Putra Malaysia University, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
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