Medical Students’ Online Learning Perceptions, Online Learning Readiness, and Learning Outcomes during COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Teacher’s Readiness to Teach Online

Abstract

This study determined the direct and indirect effects of medical students’ online learning perceptions on learning outcomes via their readiness for online learning. It also determined the moderating effect of teachers’ online teaching readiness on medical students’ online learning perceptions and learning outcomes. We apply the theoretical lens of self-determination theory and constructivist theory to formulate hypotheses. We used self-administered and postal survey methods to collect data from fourth and fifth-year medical students on online learning perceptions, readiness for online learning, and learning outcomes in two waves. We also collected data from the teachers about their perceptions of online teaching readiness. We received 517 usable students’ responses (Level-1) and 88 usable teachers’ responses (Level-2). We tested Level-1 hypotheses about direct and indirect effects in Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS), and a Level-2 hypothesis about moderating effect was tested using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). The results for the Level-1 hypotheses supported the positive effects of students’ online learning perceptions and readiness for online learning on learning outcomes. Student readiness for online learning significantly mediated the relationship between online learning perceptions and learning outcomes. HLM results also supported a moderating effect of teachers’ online teaching readiness on medical students’ online learning perceptions and learning outcomes in such a way that learning outcomes were high when students’ online learning perceptions and teachers’ online teaching readiness were high. Based on the study’s findings, we offer contributions to theory and practice.