Learning Mandarin Online: Is There A Relationship between Social Support with Expectancy and Value?

Abstract

One of the main challenges of online learning is the lack of motivation. Factors that influence motivation to learn online include social support, expectancy and values (Fowler, 2018). This quantitative study aims to examine learners' perceptions of these three factors, and the relationship between social support and expectancy and values for learning Mandarin online. A purposive sample of 156 participants from a public university in Malaysia responded to the questionnaire. The 5 Likert-scale questionnaire has 4 sections. Section A has 3 items on demographic profile. Section B has 12 items on expectancy, section C has 14 items on value and section D has 12 items on social support. The findings indicate that learners felt engaged in the online class when instructors provided them with responses and guidance. Learners also had high expectations and confidence in instructors to teach concepts and materials. Respondents were sometimes intrinsically motivated to learn and understand the material. Achieving good grades was an extrinsic motivator that drove them to improve their learning. This study showed a strong positive relationship between social support and expectancy and between social support and values. These 3 factors have been shown to interact and motivate learners, ultimately leading to successful online language learning. This study provides useful guidance to course designers, curriculum developers, course instructors and academic advisors to build and teach in an online educational environment.