The impact of general pedagogical knowledge on student engagement as mediated by instructional communication

Abstract Teachers’ ability to apply pedagogical knowledge through effective classroom communication is an important factor in shaping student engagement, yet this pathway remains underexplored in Ethiopian higher education. This study examined how general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) relates to student engagement (SE) through the process role of instructional communication (IC). Using a quantitative explanatory design, data were collected from 278 teachers across ten Ethiopian colleges and analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). Three validated instruments measured GPK, IC, and SE based on teachers’ perceptions. Results showed that GPK had a significant effect on IC (β = 0.26, p = .013), and IC strongly predicted SE (β = 0.82, p < .001). The direct effect of GPK on SE was not significant, indicating that IC functioned as the process variable fully linking GPK to SE. These findings suggest that teachers’ pedagogical knowledge supports engagement primarily through communicative clarity and responsiveness. However, because engagement was assessed only through teacher self-reports, the results should be interpreted as perceptions rather than direct measures of student behavior. The study contributes to understanding the GPK–IC–SE pathway and highlights the need for teacher education programs to strengthen communicative competence alongside pedagogical expertise.