An experience-sampling study of between- and within-individual predictors of emotional engagement in blended learning

Abstract

As emotional experience is a crucial factor influencing students' learning and performance, it is important to understand what influences their emotional engagement in blended learning. In this study, pretest, posttest, and experience sampling methods were used to capture longitudinal data from 61 preservice teachers from two classes at a university in central China. Hierarchical linear modeling techniques were employed to investigate how distal course-level academic motivation, proximal appraisals, and activity types affected emotional engagement. We found: (1) positive emotional engagement in classroom lectures was higher than that in online micro-lectures, while negative emotional engagement in classroom group discussions was higher than that in online group discussions; (2) proximal situational interest and perceived skill had a strong positive influence on positive emotional engagement and a strong negative influence on negative emotions; and (3) distal autonomous motivations positively predicted positive emotional engagement, while controlled motivations positively predicted negative emotional engagement.Educational Relevance and Implications Statement.In this study, the results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that situational interest and perceived skill positively predicted positive emotional engagement and negatively predicted negative emotional engagement. The distal course-level autonomous motivation positively predicted positive emotional engagement during subsequent learning activities, while distal course-level controlled motivation positively predicted negative emotional engagement. The results also showed that course-level academic motivation and cognitive appraisals of the activity were more important than the mode and type of learning activities for emotional engagement. In practice, to improve students' emotional experiences in blended learning contexts, instructors should enhance students' autonomous motivation, perceived control and value of learning activities in blended learning contexts.