The Effects of Learning Method, Motivation, and Self-Discipline on Students’ Retrospective Perceptions of Online Learning

Abstract

This article examines, for the first time, the relationship between learning style, motivation, and self-discipline, as factors that affect tertiary students’ perceptions of online learning, from a retrospective perspective. The period between 2019 and 2022 was and remains one in which students are rethinking the components of teaching and learning. In addition, from the learners’ perspective, social, cultural, and technological changes to which they were subject, including substantial changes to learning environments and learning methods, heightened learners’ need to reconsider time planning. This study is based on 1,928 students enrolled in several academic institutions. We used a mixed-methods design for this exploratory research, incorporating qualitative and quantitative analysis, to develop the proposed Online Teaching Recommendations (SOTR) model. We used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for goodness-of-fit. Findings indicate that with respect to self-discipline, distractions and interruptions at home hinder students’ online learning, but they do not lower students’ assessments of the quality of online teaching. We may assume that students learn how to integrate online teaching in their everyday lives, and the short-term disadvantage may become a positive experience as students persist in their academic studies. Moreover, online teaching demands students’ self-discipline, which also has no effect on perceived teaching quality. However, students’ motivation declines following online teaching, s does self-discipline, which lowers perceived teaching quality. Students are concerned by the decline in social interactions with their class mates, caused by online learning, but this decline does not adversely affect their learning process. Findings of this study may contribute to improving teaching and learning for students who use digital tools for learning, especially in academic institutions where frontal instruction remains relevant and significant. Findings support the importance of the relationship between students’ learning methods, motivation, and self-discipline, which are factors that affect students’ perceptions of online learning. The question is whether academic instructors should enhance students’ motivation to improve their self-discipline skills or whether these factors are related exclusively to students.