Profiling motivation and engagement in online learning: A multilevel latent profile analysis of students and institutions

Abstract

Exploring whether students are motivated and engaged in the context of online learning has become increasingly important given the prevalence of online learning across the globe. However, answering this question may be challenging as different students might exhibit distinct motivation and engagement profiles. To answer this question, person-centered approaches are needed. Furthermore, existing research has primarily explored motivation and engagement as attributes of individual students, often overlooking the significance of the broader institutional context. Motivation and engagement are not just properties of individual students; institutions could also have distinct motivation and engagement profiles. To address these two key gaps, this study employed a person-centered approach (i.e., multilevel latent profile analysis) to investigate online learning motivation and engagement profiles at both student and institution levels. We further examined the predictors and consequences of these profiles. The data included 6,700 students from 44 universities. We identified four student-level profiles (i.e., Low, Average, High, and Positive Motivation and Engagement Profiles) and two institution-level profiles (e.g., Motivated and Engaged Universities and Demotivated and Disengaged Universities). Students who experienced better online course experiences, characterized by an emphasis on independence and active learning, were more likely to be in the Positive Motivation and Engagement Profile. At the institutional level, university location and type was not associated with university profile, but lower-ranked universities in the league tables more often fell into the Demotivated and Disengaged Universities. Furthermore, those with high motivation and engagement profiles had better learning and satisfaction. This study extends prior work by showing that motivation is not just a property of the individual student, but that institutions also have their own motivation and engagement climates, which could have important consequences on students’ learning and satisfaction. These findings provide nuanced information for educators and policymakers to design tailored intervention programs that satisfy the specific needs of students and institutions.