THE ROLES OF LEARNING STRATEGIES AND MOTIVATION IN ONLINE LANGUAGE LEARNING: A

STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING ANALYSIS

Chin-Hsi Lin* , Yining Zhang, Binbin Zheng

Abstract

Students' active regulation of learning, through being motivated and a variety of cognitive and
metacognitive strategies, is crucial to their online learning success. Despite the large numbers enrolled
in online language courses, very little is known about students' motivation and strategy use in these
learning environments, or how they may affect their online learning outcomes. This study helps fill this
gap by examining students' motivation and learning-strategy use across a number of online language
courses, and investigating the role of motivation and such strategies within the framework of self-
regulated learning. Based on data about online language-learning strategies collected from 466 high-
school level online language students in a Midwestern virtual school, our findings indicated that online
learning strategies operated at a moderate level in the process of foreign language-learning. Further
analysis using structural equation modeling revealed that the use of online learning strategies predicted
students online learning outcomes.

Online learning has been one of the emerging forms of flexible learning in our modern society. Virtual
education through various technological inventions are on its way in changing how the students learn
and access education across all subjects particularly in language learning. But we cannot erase the fact
that even in other forms of learning, strategies and motivations are considered to be the driving forces
that bring effective understanding of the lessons. At this point in time, the demographic profile of the
students who are using online courses in language learning are frequently increasing.

According to Behaviorism, one of the famous theory of BF Skinner, states that in order for the students
to learn effectively, they need a concept of motivation. It differs how students think and it encourage
them to study in the way that they want. In line with this, there are two types of motivation the intrinsic
and extrinsic, in this case student needs intrinsic type. These motivations are not just applicable in the
normal way of learning but also in online learning.

In order to achieve the learning outcomes, theres a need for the learners to establish their
metacognitive strategy and motivations in learning.