Examining the impact of case-based learning on student engagement, learning motivation and learning performance among university students

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of case study-based learning on student’s engagement, learning motivation and learning performance among university students of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The research model is analyzed with structural equation modeling. The analysis is done with the application of the measurement model and the structural model. Findings The findings revealed that case study-based learning enhances student engagement, and a significant and positive relationship between case-based learning and all four aspects of engagement, i.e. behavioral, emotional, cognitive and agentic engagement, was observed statistically. According to the findings, case-based learning leads toward an understanding of concepts learned in class and the development of skills among students and results in the enhancement of learning motivation. Furthermore, it is suggested by the results that the impact of student engagement on learning performance varies with respect to its different aspects. As among all the four aspects, only agentic engagement was found to be statistically significant in establishing the link with the learning performance of the students. Research limitations/implications The mixed findings pertaining to the impact of student engagement’s aspects on learning performance of the students pave the way for future research. The future researchers should incorporate individual traits and the specific context to analyze the relationships between the proposed constructs because students vary in their responses to learning activities. Practical implications The present study holds significance for the field of educational research and emphasizes the importance of incorporating case-based teaching in the higher education curriculum in order to ensure the implementation of effective learning strategies. Also, this research will be beneficial for future researchers in understanding the phenomenon of student learning and engagement. Originality/value In view of the limited academic literature in the Asian context, the present study extends the findings and examined the impact of case-based learning on student’s engagement, student’s learning motivation and the role of such engagement in enhancing learning performance of university students.