How students' autonomous and controlled motivation affects satisfaction in online courses

This exploratory study aims to analyse whether and how students’ motivation affects their satisfaction in online courses during COVID-19 emergency in Italy. Based on the activity theory approach, and on the self-determination theory, the study considers two types of motivation (autonomous vs. controlled) and different aspects of students’ satisfaction in online courses related to various types of interaction (learner-content, learner-instructor, learner-learner, learner-technology, and general satisfaction). Results confirm that students with autonomous motivation perceived greater satisfaction in all the considered aspects of online courses, independently using the internet. Implications for designing online courses in university contexts, particularly during emergency period like COVID-19 pandemic, are discussed.