Detected Affect During Online Mathematics Learning Mediate Self-Report Motivation Changes: Examining a Motivation-Affect Regulation Model

This study investigates relationships between detected affect during online learning and self-reports concerning motivational constructs in mathematics. Students reported their self-concept, interest, and values in mathematics before and after learning mathematics on an online intelligent tutoring system for one academic year over the autumn and spring semesters. Students’ experiences of engaged concentration, confusion, frustration, and boredom were detected using log files from the system. The participants included over 8,000 2nd- to 8th-grade students in the United States who used an intelligent tutoring system, Reasoning Mind, during the academic year of 2017-2018. Path analyses with mediating effects indicate that students initially perceiving high self-concept are less frustrated in both autumn and spring. Students interested in mathematics experience initial disengagement and later confusion in online mathematical problem-solving. This result calls for cross-platform support from teachers and system designs, especially for students interested in traditional mathematical teaching and learning. For theory, this study posits the Motivation-Affect Regulation (MAR) model, highlighting the mediating effects of motivation effect. Results find that the earlier self-concept can be mediated by fewer frustrations in online learning and lead to later self-concept. Interest triggers early disengagement and late confusion during online learning. Value is not mediated by affect. In methodology, structural equation modelling with mediating models offers opportunities to investigate more complex relationships when common measures are collected across time. Both offline pedagogical designs and online learning system designs need to consider the gaps between different formats of learning. Students with a high interest in learning mathematics in real classrooms may fail to adjust themselves easily to online mathematical problem-solving and experience disengagement in the early stages (one semester) and confusion in the stages (after one semester).