Students' perceived support and motivational impact by the transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study explored the role of students’ perceived support in motivational impact from transition to online learning during the pandemic, and the mediating effect of connectedness with teachers and classmates. A questionnaire was conducted among 236 college students in U.S. Results suggest significant direct effects of perceived support in all three motivation outcomes: perceived impact on motivation to engage with course content, that with teachers, and that with classmates. Furthermore, communication with teachers was a strong mediator across three models, whereas the mediating role of communication with classmates limited to perceived impact on motivation to engage with classmates. Our findings point to the significance of connections with teachers and peers in predicting the motivational impact by transition to online learning. Copyright © 2022 AERA.