Effects of First-Time Experiences and Self-Regulation on College Students’ Online Learning Motivation: Based on a National Survey during COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many college students in developing countries to engage in online learning for the first time, and the sudden transit has raised concerns regarding students’ competencies for, perception of, and attitude towards online learning. To address those concerns, this study measured three essential constructs of online learning (self-regulated learning, perceived presences, and learning motivation) based on a national survey in China (N = 12,826) and employed structural equation modeling to investigate their intertwined relationship. The study results reveal that (1) college students’ academic achievement cannot effectively predict their self-regulated learning in an online learning context; (2) self-regulation can be further differentiated into general and task-specific strategies with a varying impact on three types of presences; (3) online learning motivation is best predicted by cognitive presence, followed by social presence and teaching presence; and (4) the path of task-specific self-regulated learning → cognitive presence → online learning motivation generates the largest positive compound effect. Implications for online teaching and learning practice are also discussed through the stakeholder perspectives of students, teachers, and platform developers.

Adaptation to Online Learning and Its Impact on Students’ Self-Regulation Development During the Pandemic of COVID-19

“…At the beginning of COVID-19, students' knowledge of the limitations of online learning rose, and they devoted more emphasis to enhancing their capacity to self-regulate. In general, the early stage of the development of selfregulation can only reveal a change, not its extent or influence on students [18]. According to a new study, from Fall 2019 to Spring 2020, there was little or no influence on overall student involvement, despite the fact that a growing proportion of students modified their self-regulated learning strategies and plans [19].…”

Acceptance of and self-regulatory practices in online learning and their effects on the participation of Hong Kong secondary school students in online learning

“…For example, Hong et al ( 2021 ) found that university students with higher levels of self-regulation held positive views on the effectiveness of online learning experiences. Li et al ( 2022 ) found that SRL significantly predicted college students’ online learning behaviors and motivation. However, no existing study has so far investigated the relation between students’ SRL skills and their acceptance of online learning.…”

“…The current study addressed this research gap by including these two important constructs in the same model to assess their relations and their effects on students’ participation in online learning. Third, most studies on online learning have been conducted among tertiary-level students (e.g., Aguilera-Hermida et al, 2021 ; Bol & Garner, 2011 ; Jansen et al, 2020 ; Li et al, 2022 ); this study, however, focused on secondary school students—who are less mature in terms of SRL and face more challenges in online learning—and on how their SRL skills and acceptance affect their participation in online learning.…”

“…Online learning has become a popular alternative learning mode in recent years owing to the growing use of technology in education (Beetham & Sharpe, 2019 ). During the COVID-19 outbreak, online learning significantly replaced face-to-face classroom teaching due to the temporal closure of schools (Hong et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2022 ). However, the effectiveness of online learning in the extant eLearning literature remains controversial (Azevedo et al, 2004 ; Kramarski & Gutman, 2006 ; Sun et al, 2018 ).…”

Students’ failure to understand fraction multiplication as part of a quantity

“…Researchers frequently express concerns regarding fractions as it is essential for algebraic thinking, proportional reasoning, advanced mathematics, and other science topics (Purnomo et al, 2021;Sidney et al, 2019). However, teaching and learning fractions are challenging for students (Li et al, 2022;Purnomo et al, 2019), prospective teachers (Baek et al, 2017;Rosli et al, 2020), and teachers (Copur-Gencturk, 2021;Putra, 2016). Without any underlying reasons, various mysterious rules have been presented in fractions teaching and learning.…”