Key antecedents and consequences of study engagement among university business students in the UAE

To address a gap in research in non-Western context, this study examines the antecedents and consequences of academic engagement among undergraduate business students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Building on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) and Study Demands-Resources (SD-R) models, the study explores how instructor support, peer support, and study characteristics influence study engagement, and how study engagement subsequently affects psychological well-being, perceived employability, and academic dishonesty. Using an online questionnaire with validated scales, data were collected from 256 undergraduate business students in two major UAE universities. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that instructor support and study characteristics significantly enhance study engagement, which in turn positively impacts psychological well-being and perceived employability, while reducing dishonest academic behaviors. Contrary to prediction, peer support did not impact study engagement. Importantly, the results also demonstrate that study engagement mediates the effects of instructor support and study characteristics on the three outcome variables under investigation. These findings highlight the role of supportive academic environments and engaging coursework in enhancing student success. This study contributes to the limited research on business student engagement in non-Western contexts and offers practical implications for enhancing student outcomes in higher education, particularly in business programs.