The Interplay of Behavioral, Emotional, and Cognitive Engagement in English for Specific Purposes among Nutrition Students: A Mixed-Methods Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v14i2.12168Abstract
Student engagement is an important component of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning, particularly for health science students who need English for academic and future professional purposes. However, limited research has examined behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement together in ESP learning among Nutrition students. This study aimed to examine the levels of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, the relationships among the three dimensions, the factors shaping students' engagement, and students' perceptions of the importance of English and the challenges they encountered in maintaining engagement. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed with 27 third-semester Nutrition students at Politeknik Kesehatan Sorong, Indonesia. Quantitative data were collected using a 58-item student engagement questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product–Moment correlation. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with three randomly selected students and classroom observations conducted across four English learning sessions, and were analyzed thematically. The results showed that behavioral engagement (M = 3.14), emotional engagement (M = 3.40), and cognitive engagement (M = 3.14) were all at the moderate level. Significant positive associations were found between behavioral and cognitive engagement (r = .919, p < .001), behavioral and emotional engagement (r = .870, p < .001), and cognitive and emotional engagement (r = .831, p < .001). The qualitative findings indicated that perceived professional relevance of English, learning motivation, emotional experiences, instructional practices, and classroom conditions shaped students' engagement. Students generally perceived English as important for their academic and professional development, but limited vocabulary, low confidence, fear of making mistakes, difficulties understanding English materials, and inadequate preparation presented challenges to maintaining engagement. The findings indicate that behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement were strongly associated in this sample and that students' engagement in ESP learning was shaped by interconnected personal, instructional, and professional factors.
References
Achouri, K. (2025). Designing an ESP Syllabus Based on Needs Analysis: The Case of Postgraduate Biology Students at Souk-Ahras University. Revue Algérienne Des Sciences Du Langage, 10(2), 598–619.
Adebisi, Y. A., Jimoh, N. D., Ogunkola, I. O., Ilesanmi, E. A., Elhadi, Y. A. M., & Lucero-Prisno III, D. E. (2024). Addressing language inequities in global health science scholarly publishing. Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health, 2, 100038.
Alam, A., & Mohanty, A. (2024). Framework of Self-Regulated Cognitive Engagement (FSRCE) for sustainable pedagogy: a model that integrates SRL and cognitive engagement for holistic development of students. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2363157.
Basturkmen, H. (2022). Current trends in ESP research in the Asia Pacific region. World Englishes, 41(4), 512–522.
Fitria, T. N. (2026). Implementing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in the Sharia Economics Study Program: Preparing Graduates for Diverse Professional Careers. Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Islam, 12(3), 354–383.
Fraser, S., Higa, M. K., & Davies, W. (2025). Delivering an ESP pedagogic word list: Integrating corpus analysis, materials design, and software development. Languages, 10(3), 46.
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109.
Ginting, U. T., Sembiring, Y. B., & Lumbanbatu, I. M. F. (2024). Teacher Experiences in Teaching Reading Comprehension: A Qualitative Study in English Classes at UPT SMP Negeri 10 Medan. Indonesian Journal of ELT and Applied Linguistics, 4(1), 29–36.
Habley, W. R., Bloom, J. L., & Robbins, S. (2012). Increasing persistence: Research-based strategies for college student success. John Wiley & Sons.
Kahu, E. R., & Nelson, K. (2018). Student engagement in the educational interface: Understanding the mechanisms of student success. Higher Education Research & Development, 37(1), 58–71.
Kahu, E., Stephens, C., Leach, L., & Zepke, N. (2013). Kahu, E. Stephens, C. Leach, L. & Zepke, N. (2013). The engagement of mature distance students. Higher Education Research & Development, 32(5), 791-804, DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2013.777036. Higher Education Research & Development, 32, 791–804. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2013.777036
Lasaiba, D., Ratumanan, T. G., Kempa, R., Lokollo, L. J., & Lasaiba, M. A. (2025). Development of Canva-Based Interactive Media to Enhance Basic Teaching Skills in Micro Teaching Courses. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(4), 6305–6315.
Li, Z., & Wang, Y. (2023). Adopting online flipped teaching to improve learner engagement in an English for specific purposes (ESP) course in China: a mixed-methods study. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning, 3(2), 335–361.
Pelicioni, P. H. S., Michell, A., Santos, P. C. R. dos, & Schulz, J. S. (2023). Facilitating access to current, evidence-based health information for non-English speakers. Healthcare, 11(13), 1932.
Susandi, N. K. A., Baka, C., Judijanto, L., Yahya, M., Juliana, J., Sabaruddin, S., Bontisesari, B., Budiati, B., Haryani, H., & Sulistyorini, D. (2026). English for Specific Purposes (ESP). PT. Sonpedia Publishing Indonesia.
Trowler, V. (2010). Student engagement literature review. The Higher Education Academy, 11(1), 1–15.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rahman Efendi, Rafi’ah Nur, Salasiah Ammade
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access)
