This research studied the relationship between students’ motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and task value), achievement emotions (enjoyment, boredom, and frustration), and satisfaction. The study found that students with greater self-efficacy beliefs, especially about their ability to learn online, were more likely to state that they would take online courses again in the future. However, students with higher task value beliefs for the course prefered learning F2F.

The findings are not earth-shattering and are fairly intuitive. Since it’s in the “becoming” folder for the research I’m doing with Dr. Graham, I have been trying to think about how self-efficacy is an element of disposition or of our essential selves. Greater self-efficacy has been tied in research to achievement. So belief about ourselves, including our ability to learn and master a subject, affects whether we do actually learn and master. Self-fulfilling prophesy. Yet self-efficacy isn’t quite disposition, since I can believe in my self-efficacy in one subject or context, and be full of self-doubt in another.

References

Artino, A. R. Jr. (2010). Online or face-to-face learning? Exploring the personal factors that predict studentsʼ choice of instructional format. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(4): 272-276. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.07.005. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1096751610000606.