Perceived social support and college student engagement: moderating effects of a grateful disposition on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs as a mediator

Abstract

Abstract Background Previous research has examined the role of support provided by the workplace in promoting employee engagement. This study aimed to extend this research to the academic environment by testing a proposed model of the relationship between perceived social support and student engagement and its underlying mechanisms, with the latter involving the satisfaction of basic psychological needs and a grateful disposition. Methods A total of 622 Chinese college students were selected by convenience sampling. I adopted the Perceived Social Support Scale, Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale, Gratitude Questionnaire, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student to collect their responses. The data were analyzed by using a moderated mediation model with SPSS and the Process 4.0 macro. Results The results showed that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs played a mediating role in the association between perceived social support and student engagement, while a grateful disposition played a moderating role. The moderating mediation model further revealed that this effect was more robust for students with a higher grateful disposition than for those with a lower level. Conclusion Perceived social support can significantly and positively predict student engagement through the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs. Students with a high grateful disposition benefit more than those with a low grateful disposition from using social support, as well as can use the received social support fully in order to meet their psychological needs and promote academic engagement.