Exploring the Relationships Among Interaction, Emotional Engagement and Learning Persistence in Online Learning Environments

Abstract

Learning persistence is recognized as an essential factor for effective online learning, and students interaction and emotional engagement are significant antecedents of learning persistence. In order to promote students' learning achievement and outcome, it is valuable to explore their relationships in online learning environments. Therefore, this study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships among students' online interaction, emotional engagement and learning persistence. The path model was proposed to test the mediating effects of emotional engagement. Data were collected from 328 university students in China, and the path was analyzed. The results of this study demonstrated that online interaction and emotional engagement were positively associated with students' learning persistence. In addition, emotional engagement also mediated the relationships between student-instructor interaction, student-content interaction and learning persistence in online learning environments. Consequently, from the perspectives of interaction and emotion, implications were discussed to promote students'learning persistence.