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Internet self-efficacy and self-regulation/autonomy have proven to play essential roles in online learning, especially during the compulsory closure of educational institutions due to Covid-19 all over the world. This study was conducted in an attempt to explore the inter-relationships among three constructs: Internet self-efficacy, online self-regulation, and interaction during the emergency online learning amid Covid-19 in Vietnam. A partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to mine the data collected from over two thousand undergraduate students at a Vietnamese university. Research results indicated that Internet self-efficacy was a significant predictor of learner autonomy directly and indirectly through learner-content, learner-instructor, and learner-learner interactions. The study findings also revealed significant differences between learners of language and non-language majors, between those with a prior online learning experience and those without in the relationships among the constructs mentioned above. However, gender did not have any impact on the relationships. The study findings provide new insights and useful implications for teachers and students in promoting learners' Internet self-efficacy, self-regulation, and online interaction in the context of oriental cultures where students tend to rely on their teachers in both traditional and online learning.

Studies with an explicit focus on dropouts in blended language learning (BLL) are rare and non-existent in the Asian context. This study replicates the early qualitative interview study by Stracke (2007), who explored why foreign language learners drop out of a BLL class. While the 2007 study was carried out in the German higher education context, we conducted this study at a university in Vietnam, where we conducted semi-structured interviews with five students who had left their blended English course after the first semester of study. Our findings indicate that the successful complementarity and integration of the blend components, the crucial role of teacher support and feedback within a learner-centred environment, interactive learning materials, a high level of interaction, and a good relationship between students and teachers are key for students’ perception of a successful blended class and retention. The lack of complementarity between the components of the blend remains a major reason for students’ dissatisfaction that resulted in them leaving the course in both the 2007 study and this study. Our study allows for a deep understanding of the reasons why Vietnamese EFL students leave a BLL course, thus providing some evidence for pedagogical adjustments for the delivery of current BLL classes in Vietnam and similar contexts. Understanding the reasons why students drop out can help improve the effectiveness of these programs and lead to higher retention rates, a reduction of costs (both financial but also emotional), an increase in student satisfaction, and a better student experience.

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