A cross-group comparison study of the effect of interaction on satisfaction in online learning: The parallel mediating role of academic emotions and self-regulated learning

Abstract

Online education is gradually becoming an important way for teachers and students to teach and learn on a regular basis in the post-pandemic era. Student satisfaction is a key indicator to assess students’ online learning experience and is influenced by the interaction in online classes. However, studies exploring the similarities and differences in relationship between interaction and satisfaction across educational levels received less attention. Based on the cognitive-affective theory of learning with media (CATLM) framework, this study aimed to explore the mechanisms by which interaction in online education affects satisfaction by comparing differences in models across groups. This study investigated 454 high school and 461 college students who participated in online classes by questionnaire. Structural equation modeling revealed that enjoyment and boredom mediated the effect of learner-content interaction on satisfaction in both groups. Only in high school students did self-regulated learning mediate the effect of all types of interactions on satisfaction. In college students, enjoyment and boredom were found to mediate the effects of learner-learner interactions on satisfaction. This study provides empirical support for the dynamic mechanisms by which interaction affects satisfaction in an online learning context and also provides targeted suggestions for tailoring online instruction to student group characteristics based on cross-group comparative results.