Situational interest, computer self-efficacy and self-regulation: Their impact on student engagement in distance education

This study investigates possible relationships among motivational and learning variables (interest, self-efficacy and self-regulation) and three types of student engagement (behavioural engagement, emotional engagement and cognitive engagement) in a distance education setting. Participants were 203 students enrolled in online classes in the fall semester of 2008 in the Schools of Gerontology and Engineering at a large research university in the south-western USA, who completed an online survey assessing their levels of situational interest, computer self-efficacy, self-regulation and engagement in distance education. Situational interest and self-regulation were found to be significantly correlated with three types of engagement (behavioural, emotional and cognitive), while computer self-efficacy did not appear to be associated with any of those engagement variables. Results suggested that online activities and tools such as multimedia and discussion boards may increase emotional engagement in online learning, although they do not necessarily increase behavioural or cognitive engagement, that educators should identify students who are taking online courses for the first time and provide necessary technical help to increase their emotional engagement, and that it is important for educators to offer students strategies for increasing their self-regulation in distance education environments. Introduction Distance education technology allows students to take advantage of the convenience and flexibility of taking classes at the times and locations they prefer. Although distance education is convenient and can potentially employ rich multimedia materials, there are unresolved issues related to students’ engagement in the learning process. In contrast to the environment in traditional educational settings, distance education instructors and peers are not physically present in a classroom, so students may lack opportunities to interact, collaborate and receive feedback and social support, thus leading to less engagement in learning activities (Tuckman, 2007). Moreover, distance education provides students much more freedom in how and when they interact, and therefore, their ability to regulate their own learning seems to be critical. Given the potential limitations associated with limited supervision, monitoring of student progress and opportunities to provide feedback to students, it would be useful for distance British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 43 No 2 2012 191–204 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01157.x © 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Technology © 2011 Becta. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. education instructors and course designers to have a better understanding of what factors influence student engagement. There have been many studies indicating that motivational and learning factors such as interest, self-efficacy and self-regulation are positively linked to student engagement levels (Bates & Khasawneh, 2007; Dembo, Junge & Lynch, 2006; Kanuka, 2005). However, little research has empirically explored how these factors may influence specific types of engagement. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the motivational and learning variables (interest, self-efficacy and self-regulation) and their effects on student engagement in a distance learning setting. In the current study, as outcome measures, we used Fredricks, Blumenfeld, Friedel and Paris (2005) and Fredricks, Blumenfeld and Paris’ (2004) conceptualisation of engagement as being composed of behavioural, emotional and cognitive components. In addition, the following constructs were included in this study as independent variables: personal and situational interest (Hidi, 1990, 2006), computer self-efficacy (Bates & Khasawneh, 2007) and self-regulation (Dembo et al, 2006; Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997). A brief conceptual model of the research is shown in Figure 1. The overarching research question of this study was: how do interest, self-efficacy and self-regulation influence engagement of distance education learners? Literature review There is a significant body of research findings that support the connection between motivational variables, learning strategies, self-regulatory behaviour and academic achievement (Bandura, 1997; Zimmerman & Schunk, 2001). Therefore, there is increasing attention to motivational and learning variables as factors influencing student outcomes in online settings that have been less studied than traditional classroom settings. The following section provides an overview of the key variables examined in the study. Situational interest Situational interest refers to the interest activated by the immediate environment (Hidi, 2006; Schraw & Lehman, 2001). In this study, the environment referred to distance education. There have been very few studies of interest and engagement in distance education environments. Most studies have been conducted in the context of traditional classrooms. For example, researchers have found that novelty enhances students’ situational interest as well as engagement in the Self-regulation Computer self-efficacy Situational