Comparing relations among autonomy support, motivation, and academic success across face-to-face and pandemic online STEM learning environments

The COVID-19 pandemic shift to emergency online learning likely shaped students' motivational beliefs and experiences of support. Documenting students' experiences across this transition holds promise for informing theoretical and practical understanding of the functioning and relations of key processes in various learning situations. Accordingly, we examined motivational beliefs, perceptions of motivational support, and outcomes across emergency online (2020) and pre-pandemic face-to-face (2019) contexts using data from two cohorts of undergraduate chemistry students (N = 2057). Students in face-to-face settings reported higher STEM career intentions, whereas students in pandemic online learning had higher grades and perceptions of autonomy support. Means of motivation variables did not differ across settings, but attainment value more strongly predicted STEM career intentions in pandemic online settings. The significance of the relationship between self-efficacy and outcomes also varied across contexts. These findings deepen theoretical and practical understanding of how learning environments and the pandemic shape motivational experiences.

Educational relevance and implications statement

Contemporary research highlights the significance of students' perceived support and context in shaping motivation, but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' motivational beliefs and achievements remains uncertain. Our study compared motivation, support, grades, and career intentions between face-to-face and online settings during the pandemic, revealing surprising findings. Students perceived emergency remote instruction in 2020 as more autonomy supportive, suggesting the value of flexibility in traditional learning environments. The results underscore the importance of promoting STEM identity and offering career-related opportunities in online learning to boost achievement and STEM career aspirations. This study contributes to understanding the effects of pandemic instruction.