Mediating effect of psychological needs satisfaction for presence, gratitude, and academic motivation during online learning among Malaysian private university undergraduates / Tamilselvan Ramis

Tamilselvan , Ramis (2024) Mediating effect of psychological needs satisfaction for presence, gratitude, and academic motivation during online learning among Malaysian private university undergraduates / Tamilselvan Ramis. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

Academic motivation is a vital aspect of human learning and development. It is essential to better understand both direct and indirect predictors of superior academic motivation, to address the problem of declining academic motivation among undergraduates in online learning. As lack of interaction has been cited as a central reason for reduced academic motivation in online learning, this study examined the associations between (i) presence and academic motivation and (ii) gratitude and academic motivation, as well as the mediating role of psychological needs satisfaction on the relationships between (i) presence and academic motivation and (ii) gratitude and academic motivation, particularly, among undergraduates during online learning at private universities in Malaysia. A correlational research design was employed in this study. Two hundred and fifty students who are pursuing their tertiary education in private universities across the country, recruited via convenience sampling, filled in an online survey. The variables namely presence, gratitude, academic motivation, and psychological needs satisfaction were measured using the Community of Inquiry Survey, the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form, the Academic Motivation Scale as well as Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale respectively. Pearson’s r with bootstrapping analyses revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between presence and autonomous academic motivation as well as between presence and controlled academic motivation. There is also a significant negative relationship between presence and academic amotivation. In addition, there is a significant positive relationship between gratitude and autonomous academic motivation. There is a significant negative relationship between gratitude and academic amotivation. However, it was found that there is no significant relationship gratitude and controlled academic motivation. Furthermore, PLS-SEM analyses suggested that psychological needs satisfaction significantly mediates the relationship between social presence and autonomous academic motivation (β = 0.100, p = .021), but not the relationship between cognitive (β = 0.061, p = .140) and teaching presences (β = -0.039, p = .315) and autonomous academic motivation. Psychological needs satisfaction significantly mediates the relationship between gratitude and autonomous academic motivation (β = 0.090, p = .003). However, it was found that psychological needs satisfaction does not significantly mediate the relationships between cognitive (β = 0.004, p = .846), social (β = 0.006, p = .826), and teaching presences (β = -0.002, p = .866) and controlled academic motivation. Psychological needs satisfaction does not significantly mediate the relationship between gratitude and controlled academic motivation as well (β = 0.006, p = .827). Further, psychological needs satisfaction was found to significantly mediate the relationship between social presence and academic amotivation (β = -0.125, p = .013), but not the relationship between cognitive (β = -0.076, p = .122) and teaching presences (β = 0.049, p = .311) and academic amotivation. Psychological needs satisfaction significantly mediates the relationship between gratitude and academic amotivation (β = -0.113, p = .001). The findings of the current study provide insights into addressing the problem of low academic motivation among students during online learning, in turn, aid university administrations to address the higher rates of attrition in online learning.

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