Exploring the relationship between university students’ perceived English instructional quality and learner satisfaction in the online environment

Abstract

Very little research has measured and analyzed how perceived English instructional quality can influence learner satisfaction among university students in the context of online learning. This study constructed a multi-level structural equation model (MSEM) at both group and individual levels to analyze and explain the effects of student's perceived instructional quality, learning engagement, learning experience, perceived technological usefulness and perceived ease of use on their satisfaction with English learning. Based on a questionnaire survey of 1826 Chinese undergraduate students, MSEM analysis showed that, in the online environment, students' perceived instructional quality had a positive impact on their satisfaction with English learning. Learning engagement and learning experience played a mediating role between students' perceived instructional quality and learner satisfaction. The results also showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of technology moderated the effect of perceived instructional quality on learner satisfaction, learning engagement and learning experience. In addition, they moderated the mediating effects of both learning engagement and learning experience on the relationship between perceived instructional quality and learner satisfaction. The findings yield pedagogical implications for efforts to the teaching planning, process management, and emotional support, particularly interactive teaching activities, in the online learning environment. It also recommends that universities should vigorously develop and introduce cutting-edge technology, accelerating the transformation of technology into practical services.