ISSN: 2782-893X
eISSN: 2799-0664
ISSN: 2782- 893X
—— This quantitative, non-experimental study examined how student engagement, social and emotional competence (SEC), and civic attitudes and skills (CAS) influence social networking sites (SNS) usage among 503 Master in Public Administration (MPA) students from five higher education institutions in Region XII. Data were collected using validated survey questionnaires adapted from established scales, and analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression, and Structural Equation Modeling to determine levels, relationships, and predictive pathways among variables. Results revealed high levels of student engagement, social and emotional competence, civic attitudes and skills, and social networking sites usage, with cognitive engagement, decision-making, and political awareness emerging as the strongest dimensions. Significant positive relationships were found between social networking site (SNS) usage and all three exogenous variables, while regression analysis identified engagement as the strongest predictor of SNS behavior. Among the tested structural models, Model 3 demonstrated the best fit, confirming that engagement and social and emotional competence (SEC) significantly influence civic attitudes and skills (CAS), which in turn mediates social networking sites (SNS) usage. These findings indicate that Master’s in Public Administration students’ digital behavior is largely shaped by their academic involvement and civic dispositions, while emotional competence contributes indirectly by strengthening engagement and civic development that support more purposeful and responsible social networking sites (SNS) use. Keywords: Public Administration, student engagement, social and emotional competence, civic attitudes and skills, social networking sites usage, structural equation modeling, Region XII SDG Indicator: SDG 4 (Quality Education); SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions)