Abstract:

Although online learning has been used for decades, during the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all students worldwide experienced it, raising the question about higher education learning format delivery, Face-to-Face (F2F) vs. online. A post-COVID-19 research (blinded for review) analyzed freshmen students’ learning format preferences when allowing them to attend a course by synchronously F2F, synchronously online, or asynchronously online. The researchers found that students’ preferences and perceived benefits and pitfalls of the learning formats were related to Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT identifies three psychological needs for motivation: competence (i.e., effective interaction with society), relatedness (i.e., sense of feeling belonging and being cared about), and autonomy (i.e., the belief that one’s behavior reflects one’s own choice). Thus, the purpose of the following study was to further examine students’ attitudes toward F2F and online learning from the lens of SDT. Specifically, we were interested in measuring the themes that emerged from the previous study.

To measure students’ attitudes towards F2F and online learning, we developed a 12 Likert-type items questionnaire that included themes related to the three factors:
(1) competence (e.g., “this learning format is good for me because it improves concentration”, 5 items, F2F α=0.89, online α=0.86),
(2) relatedness (e.g., “this learning format is good for me because it is easier to ask questions”, 3 items, F2F α=0.82, online α=0.85), and
(3) autonomy (e.g., “this learning format is good for me because it enables learning at my own pace”, 4 items, F2F α=0.90, online α=0.84).

The students completed this questionnaire twice, once with respect to F2F and once with respect to online learning. In addition, to check their learning format preference, an additional question was asked: “How should a course in a university be delivered?” with 5 options from only F2F to only online. During the 2023 fall semester, 114 freshmen students (34 females, mean age=18.44, SD=0.565) from (blinded for review) answered the questionnaire.

Comparison between the SDT factors in relation to online and F2F learning revealed that students rated their competence to learn F2F learning higher than their online competence (t(113)=12.189, p<.001). Likewise, students rated their sense of relatedness in F2F learning higher than their online relatedness (t(113)=4.991, p<.001). Lastly, students rated their autonomy in F2F learning lower than their online autonomy (t(113)=-8.234, p<.001).

Furthermore, correlations between the SDT factors and students’ learning format preferences were found. Higher sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in F2F learning correlates to a higher preference for F2F learning (r(112)=0.287, r(112)=.327, r(112)=.251, p<.01, respectively). Likewise, a higher sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in online learning correlates to a higher preference for online learning (r(112)=0.231, r(112)=.303, r(112)=.205, p<.05, respectively).

In summary, students’ learning format preferences is linked to their sense of competence, relatedness, and autonomy for each learning format. While competence and relatedness were higher for F2F learning, autonomy was higher for online learning. Instructional design may address each learning format’s strengths and weaknesses, and a hybrid approach may help students benefit from both worlds.

Keywords:

Learning preferences, online learning, Self-Determination Theory.