Research on the Influence of Students’ Engagement in Blended Synchronous Learning

Student engagement is identified as the key predictor of students’ academic performance. However, few studies have explored the factors that influence students’ engagement in blended synchronous learning (BSL). Based on the Triadic Reciprocal Determinism Theory, this study explores the factors affecting students’ engagement from the individual factors (academic self-efficacy and motivation), environmental factor (social presence), and behavioral factors (teacher-student interaction and student-student interaction). The results show that academic self-efficacy, motivation, and social presence are observed to be the predictors of the three specific types of engagement in BSL. Teacher-student interaction is observed to be the predictor of behavioral engagement and emotional engagement, while student-student interaction predicts emotional engagement. These findings can provide references for optimizing the instructional design to improve students’ engagement in BSL.