Positive emotions, engagement, and objective academic performance: A weekly diary study

Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in the role of emotional skills in the academic field over the past decades. The current study, by using a weekly diary design, examines within-person variations in positive emotions, student engagement, and performance. The sample consisted of 116 university students who, over 4 consecutive weeks, completed a questionnaire (number of occasions = 464). Results from hierarchical linear modeling showed that the association between positive emotions and objective academic performance was mediated by student engagement. In addition, we also observed a direct relationship between the number of weekly positive emotions and the performance at the university. Our results highlight the importance of promoting both positive emotions and students' engagement. The discussion concludes with the implications of our findings for education.