Joumal of Ed ucalional M~dia & Li brary Sciences. VoL3 7. NO.4 (2側的).

pp_367_375

STUDENT MOTIVATION IN
THE ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Cheng-Yu a11 (Corey) Le e

DecIOral5 叫lent
In$lrUclioMI SySU，叫 c，句 e of Educoli，帥
的UVI!r$l吵。)fCenlral Flor， 加

Orlo"do. Florida, US.A

Ab$ tract
Allhough online leaming is gainin可g immcnse popularily and aucnlion during Ihe
paSI few years. il has a problem of a high drop-o叫 mle. M 別 ivation of online sludems
的 prob叫c and oflen 0叫 ked. Based on a review of lil叫 ure on dislance

educalion and motivalion Ihω I'Y. Ihis article ancmplS 10 idenl 吋 sev~ral faClOrs Ihat
affeCI slud挖洞 1 mO! ivalion in online learning environmenls. These faclors > nclude
gcographic叫 separalion. le~l-ba的，d ，們 d asynchronous communica !i on. inlensive

lechnology ski l1 s requirements. hypermedia and Ihe lnlerne!. course conle削'"'

戶，突已
;;:', t :J leaming activities. and support services. Afler each fac !Or is idenlified. consideralions
'‘一 ""' ωggesl.o的 are provided

Kcywords
M01Í valion: Online leaming; lnlemel

lntroduction

Du e to th e development of information and communications

technologies over the last decade , the World Wide Web (WWW) is
empowered wîth many advanced fea lU res , such as rich d isplays (p re -
sentmg V1SU祉 ， auditory and symbolic fonnats at once) , high levels of real
time interactivity, and a high degree of learner contro l. Given the
advanlages of the WWW. anincreasing number of educational
institutions are offering online courses 10 reach a larger student
population
Although online learning îs gaînîng îmmense popularity and at

361
 J61 Joumnl of Educ泌的吼叫 Media & Li bmry Scicnc的 37: 4 (J une 2飢渴)

tention. it has its problems - the high drop-ouI rate of online studcnts
Online learners throughout the world are characterized as having a
higher altrition rate than traditional students. The motivation of online
students seems problematic. To dale , Ihere are few articles discussing
onlinc learning from the viewpoint of motivatio l1. 8ased on the review
of literalure on distance education and motivation theory, this article
attempts to 岫叩"句 factors that affect student mOlivation in the online
leaming environmen t. In addition , some considerations and suggestions
are provided

Geograph ical Separ at ion

The mOSl obvious characteristÎc of onlîne learning is thal the

instructor and students are geographically separated. Unlike the
traditional face-Io-face (F2F) inSlruclional mode , online learners are
unable 10 see their inslructors on a weekly basis; they are separated by
both space and time. Oue to the separalion , studenls often repon a lack
t
of social conlaCt and feel isolated from their inSlnJCIOr and peer. This
M
poses serious problems in sludent learning and motivalion. According 10
Rotter 's social learning theory, "the major or basic modes of behaving
are learned in social situations and are inexlricably fused with needs
requiring for their satisfaction the mediation of olher persons."1 This
notion is proved by Peler's study2 , in wh 恥ch the lack of social contacl
wilh other sludents accounts for 27.3% of the reasons for dropoul
Lockett 's studyJ also shows that when students socialize wilh Ih創 r peers ,
they are less likely 10 drop out and are more likely 10 mainlain high
levels of motivation. Understanding this , lhe social aspecl in studenl
learning and motivation should not be ignored
To increase social contact in the online learning environment , a
collaborative learning method is often adopted. Collaborative learning
approaches require students 10 interact with one anothe r. This can
increase the interactivity levels among studenlS. If studenls are more
engaged in their learning activities , Ihey feel they are a part of an
academic gfO up; thus their feeling of being isolated can be reduced. [n
 Lee Sludem M叫 ivalion in lhe Onlinc Lc aming Environme削 369

additi 凹， researchers also found that when a learning task is accom-

plished , students who participate in teamwork raise their self-esteem
higher than students who 、、 ork independently.4

Text-bascd and Asynchronous Communication

Onl ine communications are predominately conducted through email

a,> d forun芯， which are texl-based and asynchrωlO US. The text -based and
asynchronous nature of online communication raises 1WO problems
related 10 student motivation. First , it requires online students 10 com
munÎCate through writing , which might be distressing for those students
who do n01 havc the abi Ji ly 10 express themselves effectively in writing
Second , asynchronous communicalion oflen crcates an uncertaimy
among students. While the asynchronous nature of online learning
allows sludents and inst ructor to communicale al their convenience ,
feedback from the teacher is oftcn abscnt or dclaycd. When students are
叫
MUY

concerned abo Ul their performance. but cannot obtain feedback frorn

their înstruc 1O r, they are în the midst of uncertainty. This uncertainty
e、 entually leads to feelîngs of heightened anxiety
These engalive feelings e x periet也ed by many online students cannot
be neglected. As an increasing number of research studies indica時，
emotion has a significant impact on human motivalion.-~ Negative
erno 1Ì ons , such as anxiety, sadness , depression . and anger, have negative
effects on motivatio叭， whereas positive ernotions , such as happiness , joy,
and contentment , have positîve effects on motivation. To ease students'
discornfort ri訓 ng from text-based communication , showing an instruc
tor's empathy is helpfu l. Meanwhile , the instructor can encourage
students' through wntten communicatiα1 10 help thern overcome their d的
comfort and fear with written communication. To reduce the students'
anxiety levels resulting from the use of asynchronous communication , it
is suggested that the instructor respond to student rnessages frequently
When it is n01 possible to respond to student messages in deta刊， a simple
ShO I1 message , Sltch as “ received" , can help eliminate anxiety
3斑。 Journal of Ed ucal悶悶 1 Mcdia & Li brary Sciences 37: 4 (J unc 2000)

Intensive Technology Skills Requirement

Participation in online leaming involves the intensive use of tech

nology. To succeed in such courses , students should be able to use
communication technologies to access course materials , send and receive
ema汀， browse the Intemet , and perform searches to locate information
However, not eve叩 student taking an online course has sufficienl prior
technology experience. Due 10 inadequale computer exp叮 ience and
ski l\ s, novice computer users often suffer from computer anxiety.6 While
students are experiencing computer anxiety, they are not able to focus
their al1ention on the leam ing activities or tasks because their working
m飢n 。可 IS occup的d by the fears of compu 1Í ng. To avoid this anxielY,
especially at the beginning of a semester, the instructor can spend addi
tional time dedicated to helping students gain comfort and expe口的e ， and
reinforcing initial a t1 empts at communicating online. 7 Wilh additional
efforls contributcd by online instructors. students will feel more com
fortable and confident with the communication technologies

Hypermedia and the Internet

A salient feature that distinguishes online learning from the tradi-

tional learning format is its use of hypermedia. Hypermedia is a frame
work for nonlinear representation of symbols (graphics , text , images ,
code) in the compute r. 8 The nonlinear presentation of information
allows the hypermedia leamer to randomly access a body of knowledge
in their preferred manne r. This capability of hypermedia grants the user
a cenain degree of control over their learning and requir口 more mental
effor t. According to motivation theoris尬， allowing the students choice
and control in their learning activities enhances their intrinsic mot 卜
vation. 9 However, there is a pitfall ass血 iated with the use of hyperme-
dia. Researchers have discovered lhat , due 10 the richness of information
slored in hypermedia nonlinear environmen的， it is easy for the user to
wander off along various paths , loose lrack of where shelhe has been ,
and become disoriented within the information ne t. 1o This may cause
 Le e: SlUdenl MOlivation in the On line Le aming En 叫 ronme 間 371

confusion , stress and frustration in leame時， deminishing their ìntrinsic

interest in learning. To p阻 vent thìs downside of hypermeida. Morariu
suggests that “ learners must be provided with appropriate and clear
nagivational and conceptual too ls ìn order to explore even the best
designed systems ,"lJ
Many studies show that when the Internet is used as a resource for
additîonal information , students are motivated to learn content in greater
dep時h because it offers them resources beyond their classroom , more
current than theìr textbook , and more knowledgeable than theîr teache r. 12
For this reason , in most online courses , use of the Intemet provides an
exce !l ent resource for addìtional course content. At the same time , the
Intemet may also become a m 句 or source of distraction because of the
abundance of information located. Frequently students repO t1 thm they
are easily dìstracted by the ìnteresting , but îrγelevant information on the
web while they are searching for assigned înformation. These dis! racters
have a negative impact on student motivation because the learner
t"5.~
perceives beìng distracted as a sign of lack of control over outcomes. 13

Course Content and Learning Activities

Probably the most important factor that motivates people to take an

online course is to gaìn addîtional knowledge and qualifìcations. The
ultimate goals of online students often include one or more combinations
of these reasons: (0 upgrade existing qualifications at work , to increase
the likelihood of higher salaries , (0 improve promotional prospecls , and
to enhance employment opportunities. When learning tasks can help
them achieve their goals , they commit more strongly to the learnìng
tasks. As Knowles states ,“ When leamers understand how the acquisi.
tion of ce r1 ain knowledge or s k.i lls wiU add 10 their abi lìty to perform
beuer in life , they enter into even more didactic instructional situations
with a clearer sense of pu中ose and see what they leam as more personal
It converts course takers and seminar partic 自 pants into competency
developers 叫‘ Understanding this concept whîle preparing course
mate汀1 訓， the instructor should 1可 to make them as relevant as possible ,
 372 Journal of Ed ucational Me <J ia ~是Library Sciences 37: 4 (June 2 叭~)

in order to maintain and enhance student lllotivation

8csides course content , leaming acti 、l ities have significant intluence
on student motÎvatÎon. A learning activity frequently llsed by online
instructors is the use of a problem solving approach. This has proved
effectÎve , n01 only in developing students ' critica\ thinking ski lls and
deepening their underSlanding of significant conlent , but a\50 in
increasing a studnets' motÎva 1Í OI司的 A probJem solving approach has
three anributes 1ha1 contribute 10 increased studcnt motivation. Firsl ,
problem solving requires 1ha1 learners obtain su fficîent skills and
knowledge to perform the problem-solving task. Once the problem is
solved , it conveys to learners that they are becoming more competent ,
which will raise self-efficacy and pe rceived cont rol over outcomes
Second , probtem solving prompts a st udent 's intrinsic motivation by
triggering their imaginations. It is said that with fantasy. sludents gain
vicarious pteasures lhat are not usually available 10 them. Third ,
prob !c m solving encourages students to use know !e dge meaningfully
、4
=滋
4
For most stu dents , using knowledge meaningfully is challenging and
F
intrinsicalty motivaling. 16 Embeded with learner contro l, fantasy , and
challenge , probtem solving strategies enhance stu dcnt 's intrinsic
motivation for their s !U dy

Support Scrviccs

While online Sludents are physicalty separated from their instruc

tors , to some extent , they are also separated from suppon services. On
line students , like on 一 campus students , need support , such as library
services , to complete assigned projects or studies. H oweve汀， most of the
time , library services are not available to those who cannot physicalty
visit the campus library. Online students often feel frustrated due to the
constraints of unattainable service , which will hindcr students' imentions
to complcte their tasks
8esides the lack of library services , another constraint stems from
the lack of technoli gical support . Compute r technolo gies and net-
working are thc prcdominant mcdia used in onlinc learning. Whenever
 Le e: 5lUdcnl Moti\' a\ ion in thc 臼 linc …一 37J

there are communication breakdowns and technical difficulties. online

students are blocked from access to course material or to contact with
their instructors. At this moment , support services should be available
for online students. However、 many institutions fai l to provide these
serv ices. This technological obsta cJ e can easily frustrate online learners ,
thus preventing them from paJ1icipating in learning activities. Evidence
indicates that technological problems are oftcn citcd as Ihe most frequent
心、 use of course deficiencies , sludent anxieties and frustration , negative
attitudes toward the course. and student dissatisfaction. '7
In rnotivation theory. the lack of lib凹 ry services and technical
suPPOrt is defined as an environmelllal constrain t. t8 According 10 Ford' s
motivational systems theory, an environmentaI constraint will hinder an
individual frorn performing a task , and evernually reduce the level of
motivation. If examincd funher. these env Íl叫】 mental constrailllS actu
ally convey to the learner a 10鈴 of contro l. According to Expectancy-
為札

Control theory, people who have a lower dcεrcc of scnsc of control of

the learning or task tend to withdraw their cornmitment from the lask in
which they a 阻 engaged. As a result. Ford proposes that the learning
environment should contain the malerial and informatÎon resou rces
nceded for task completion. Therefore , il is important to provide
sufficient and timely services , such as library services. technology
helpdcsks、 admÎnistrative SUppO r1、 advising、 and counseling 10 remove
cnvironmental conSlraints thal hinder online Sludcnts ' commilments

Conclusion

Pa r1 icipation in an online learning environme 川的 definitely different

from thc conventional , face-to-facc classroom [.前 mat. Due to the geo
graphical separation , intensive use of communÎcation technolog ies ,
different learning assignments and activities , and diffcrent commun 卜
cation skills required , online leamcrs are facing tnany changes that are
essential to a successful learning experiencc. To many students. thesc
differenc t:~ and changes from their prior expcricnce are stressful and
frightening. As many studies indicmc. trying sornething ncw typically
 374 loumal of Educal他叫 Media & Lib叩門y ScÎences 37: 4 (J une 2(00)

produces fee l ings of discomfort , confusion , tension or anxiety.J9

Eventually , these negative feelings hinder students' motivation in
successfu !l y completing learning tasks and activities. However ,
sometimes some changes are necessary for SUCCeS$. Understanding
sl udent motivation can make this transition ffiore comfortable and even
tnQrc enjoyable、

No' 偈

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(1992): 12.21
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dl'C 'C"SC lhc jrol.tion fOC1Qr and incrcase motivalion:' Pnxu，由gs 0/ 1\\叫le198 峙，Id c.:Hjfa.."c~ <!f 11>.
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戶 28:2 (1 99約 149-167: G. l!. ß。“叫“可知馴的 n and S仗 al Judgm叫 IS:' Monogra l' h I' uhlishcd hy Ih<
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cyhcrs仰α1的愉阻 il .....~lioos." 8elw ，叩 ， R~uo"h M~lhod.. /, mmmelll,. & CQI，旬 "ι 咒。 2 (19981 .2叫 -

216
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T~r伽 '0扒"叫 17':'0

1". CJ. f1 onk. K.I• llay. & k.R. I'i..c hlcr, "Fivc Kcy kc叫rccs for an I'lcclronic 臼"川 ily of
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Compan弘 1984).

15. S. S耶& L. Torp. "Whal 1)酬 h Takc 10 Bccomc a Tcach時r of pr油 10m ßascd Lc arn 時

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