Impacts of task value belief and relational quality on hMOOC learner satisfaction in the post-pandemic era: The mediating roles of Learner Engagement and Knowledge sharing

Despite the growing importance of MOOCs and their application in face-to-face classes since 2020, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, existing literature offers limited research on the factors affecting the quality of hybrid MOOC (hMOOC) learning, particularly from a psychological perspective. Thus, based on the 3P model of teaching and learning, this study aims to build a psychological pathway to empirically investigate the indicators of, and their relationship with, hMOOC learning outcomes by examining task value belief and relational quality as presage variables, and learner engagement and knowledge sharing as process variables, leading to learner satisfaction as the product. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 750 undergraduate learners with prior experience in hMOOC learning in higher educational institutions of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), path, and mediation analyses were conducted based on structural equation modeling (SEM). The results confirmed the hypothesis that task value belief and relational quality both significantly influenced learner satisfaction in hMOOCs. Task value belief exerted indirect effects on satisfaction through learner engagement. However, it failed to predict satisfaction through knowledge sharing indirectly. Instead, task value belief affected learner engagement first and then knowledge sharing, which finally impacted satisfaction, revealing the linear relationship of TVB→LE→KS→SA. Moreover, relational quality had an indirect effect on satisfaction through both learner engagement and knowledge sharing, indicating the interrelationships of RQ→LE KS→SA. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed in the conclusion.