Proposing a causal model of online teaching effectiveness based on online teaching literacy: The mediating role of online teaching self-efficacy: A path analysis

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. student, Distance Education Planning, Department of Educational Sciences, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Payame Noor University(PNU), P. O. Box: 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran.

3 Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Payame Noor University(PNU), P. O. Box: 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

This study aimed to propose a causal model of online teaching effectiveness based on online teaching literacy, with the mediating role of online teaching self-efficacy. The statistical population of this applied quantitative correlational research comprised all professors of Payame Noor universities in Iran. The sample consisted of 350 professors, conveniently selected. Online Teaching Literacy, Online Teaching Self-Efficacy, and Online Teaching Effectiveness Questionnaires were used to collect data, which were analyzed in SPSS 24 and AMOS. The findings showed a correlation of 0.68 between online teaching literacy and online teaching self-efficacy, a correlation of 0.70 between online teaching literacy and online teaching effectiveness, and a correlation of 0.77 between online self-efficacy and online teaching effectiveness, significant at the p < 0.01 level.
Introduction                           
The growth and development of information and communication technology (ICT) have revolutionized the modern methods of electronic learning and expanded online classes into an inclusive format to reduce costs and save time (Keengwe & Georgina, 2012:370). As a result, educational institutions have oriented towards free and accessible educational systems for mass audiences (Hanushek, 2011:475; Rudestam, 2004:427). In fact, we are entering a new world of education in which learners can teach themselves regularly through online courses (Anderson, 2008:22). ICTs have recently created new challenges and opportunities for educational design (Sejzi, Aris & Yahya, 2012:566). Universities and educational centers cannot meet the needs of the country and the large number of applicants for high-quality education merely through face-to-face education. As such, most universities have turned their attention towards virtual education (Yasini & Taban, 2015:183).
Meanwhile, some researchers have shown that the relationship between online teaching effectiveness and online teaching literacy is mediated by variables such as educational satisfaction (Aldhahi et al., 2022:1329) and the level of online teaching self-efficacy (Ozkan, Koseler, & Baykal, 2009: 112). The present study examined the role of online teaching self-efficacy in the relationship between online teaching effectiveness and online teaching literacy. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the activity of universities and educational institutions (Baroudi & Shaya, 2022). Thus, this study aimed to propose a causal model of online teaching effectiveness on online teaching literacy with the mediating role of online teaching self-efficacy.
Methodology
This was an applied quantitative correlational study using path analysis. The statistical population comprised all the professors of Payame Noor universities in Iran who (according to self-reports) participated in one or more online courses and electronic education in the academic year 2021-2022. A sample of 350 was conveniently selected. By eliminating the incomplete questionnaires and outliers, 335 questionnaires were finally included in the data analysis.
Descriptive statistical methods (mean and standard deviation), Pearson’s correlation, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data to propose the model.
The participants of this study were four female Ph.D. candidates. This small sample was selected because this study needed specific detailed interpretive descriptions and a deeper interaction with each individual. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the interviews were conducted through phone calls, and the additional steps were taken through WhatsApp Messenger. The interviews were transcribed immediately, and the final transcripts were handed over to the participants for review.
Results
Based on the findings of the research, it was found that among the sub-components of online teaching literacy, time management has the highest average and technical competence has the lowest average, which shows that the attention and emphasis on the variable of time management has been more than other variables. Also, based on the findings, it was found that among the sub-components of online teaching self-efficacy, the classroom management sub-component has the highest average and the effectiveness sub-component in student participation has the lowest average, which shows that the attention and emphasis on the online teaching self-efficacy variable is relatively high. It has been more to other variables. In addition, the findings show that among the sub-components of the effectiveness of online teaching, the sub-component of interaction between professors has the highest average, on the basis of which it can be said that this variable is more important and the participants have devoted higher scores to this sub-component.
Based on the obtained correlation coefficients, it is clear that the relationship between the self-efficacy of online teaching and the effectiveness of online teaching is higher than other relationships, which indicates the importance of self-efficacy in the field of online teaching effectiveness.
AMOS bootstrap maximization method was used to check the significance of indirect hypotheses. Considering the significance of the direct paths of online teaching literacy to the effectiveness of online teaching and at the same time the confirmation of the path of online teaching self-efficacy to the effectiveness of online teaching was investigated through the bootstrap method. As the results show, the lower limit of the confidence interval for online teaching self-efficacy as a mediating variable between online teaching literacy and online teaching effectiveness is (-0.0115) and its upper limit is (-0.0611). The confidence level for this confidence interval is 95.
Considering that zero is outside this confidence interval, this relationship is a significant mediator; Therefore, online teaching self-efficacy plays a role as a mediating variable in the relationship between online teaching literacy and online teaching effectiveness.
Discussion and conclusion
This study aimed to test the fit of the proposed model and the causal relationships between predicting online teaching effectiveness based on online teaching literacy mediated by online teaching self-efficacy in the form of a structural model.
The findings revealed that online teaching self-efficacy mediated the relationship between online teaching literacy and online teaching effectiveness. One of the most important theoretical implications of this study is that it has identified and fully examined a major variable in virtual and online teaching and learning (online teaching self-efficacy) and delineated its relationship with other variables; all this contributes to the theoretical development of online learning. One of the most important practical implications of this study is the development of two questionnaires (for online teaching self-efficacy and online teaching literacy), which will help researchers when investigating online teaching.

Keywords

References

Ahmadian, M., & Pasand, P. G. (2017). EFL learners’ use of online metacognitive reading strategies and its relation to their self-efficacy in reading. The reading matrix: an international online journal, 17(2), 117-132. (Text in
Persian).
Ahmadi Mahjoub, A & Taghizadeh, M (2019). The opinions of students and professors about the online program of teaching English as a foreign language: the contribution of motivation, electronic readiness and learning barriers in satisfaction. New Researches in English Language Studies, 53(3):102-120. (Text in
Persian).
Aldhahi, M. I., Alqahtani, A. S., Baattaiah, B. A., & Al-Mohammed, H. I. (2022). Exploring the relationship between students' learning satisfaction and self-efficacy during the emergency transition to remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Education and Information Technologies, 27(1), 1323-1340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10644-7
Alqurashi, E. (2016). Self-efficacy in online learning environments: A literature review. Contemporary Issues in Education Research (CIER), 9(1), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.19030/cier.v9i1.9549
Anderson, T. (Ed.). (2008). The theory and practice of online learning. Athabasca University Press.
Arghode, V., Brieger, E., & Wang, J. (2018). Engaging instructional design and instructor role in online learning environment. European Journal of Training and Development, 42(7/8), 366-380. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-12-2017-0110
Barnes, J. K., Guin, A., & Allen, K. (2018). Training needs and online learning preferences of early childhood professionals. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 39(2), 114-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2017.1347909
Baroudi, S., & Shaya, N. (2022). Exploring predictors of teachers’ self-efficacy for online teaching in the Arab world amid COVID-19. Education and Information Technologies, 50(9):1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10946-4
Beck, E., Goin, M. E., Ho, A., Parks, A., & Rowe, S. (2021). Critical digital literacy as method for teaching tactics of response to online surveillance and privacy erosion. Computers and Composition, 61, 102654. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2021.102654
Bruijns, B.A., Vanderloo, L.M., Johnson, A.M., Adamo, K.B., Burke, S.M., Carson, V., Heydon, R., Irwin, J.D., Naylor, P.J., Timmons, B.W. and Tucker, P. (2022). Change in pre-and in-service early childhood educators’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions following an e-learning course in physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a pilot study. BMC Public Health, 22(1), pp.1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12591-5
Chang, C. S., Liu, E. Z. F., Sung, H. Y., Lin, C. H., Chen, N. S., & Cheng, S. S. (2014). Effects of online college student’s Internet self-efficacy on learning motivation and performance. Innovations in education and teaching international, 51(4), 366-377.
Corry, M., & Stella, J. (2018). Teacher self-efficacy in online education: a review of the literature. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2047
Dal Santo, L., Peña-Jimenez, M., Canzan, F., Saiani, L. and Battistelli, A. (2022). The emotional side of the e-learning among nursing students: The role of the affective correlates on e-learning satisfaction. Nurse Education Today, p.105268. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105268
Ding, L., Zhao, Z., & Wang, L. (2022). Does online teaching strategy matter: exploring the effect of online teaching strategies on students’ ambidextrous innovation capacities based on the online teaching situation in China. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 1-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2022.2038315
Dolighan, T., & Owen, M. (2021). Teacher efficacy for online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brock Education Journal, 30(1), 95-95. https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v30i1.851
Gol Mohammadnejad Bahrami, Gholamreza (2014). The role of internet use on self-efficacy, academic motivation and academic achievement; Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Bimonthly Scientific-Research Education Strategies in Medical Sciences. 8 (4): 255-260.
HanusheK, E. A. (2011). The economic value of higher teacher quality. Economics of
Education Review, 30(3), 466-479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.12.006
Heo, J., & Han, S. (2021). The mediating effect of literacy of LMS between self-evaluation online teaching effectiveness and self-directed learning readiness. Education and Information Technologies, 26(5), 6097-6108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10590-4
Hodges, C. B., Moore, S., Lockee, B. B., Trust, T., & Bond, M. A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning.
Hong, J. C., Liu, X., Cao, W., Tai, K. H., & Zhao, L. (2022). Effects of self-efficacy and online learning mind states on learning ineffectiveness during the COVID-19 lockdown. Educational Technology & Society, 25(1), 142-154.
Jayakumar, P., Suman Rajest, S., & Aravind, B. R. (2022). An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Online Teaching and Learning Outcomes with Regard to LSRW Skills in COVID-19 Pandemic. In Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Learning Post-COVID-19 (pp. 483-499). Springer, Cham.
Keengwe, J., & Georgina, D. (2012). The digital course training workshop for online learning and teaching. Education and Information Technologies, 17(4), 365-379. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10639-011-9164-x
Kim, S. H. (2006). A Study on the Evaluation of Effectiveness of Online Information Literacy Course for Undergraduate Students. Journal of the Korean society for library and information science, 40(4), 33-61.
Lai, H. J. (2011). The influence of adult learners' self-directed learning readiness and network literacy on online learning effectiveness: A study of civil servants in Taiwan. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 14(2), 98-106.
Ma, K., Chutiyami, M., Zhang, Y., & Nicoll, S. (2021). Online teaching self-efficacy during COVID-19: Changes, its associated factors and moderators. Education and information technologies, 26(6), 6675-6697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10486-3
Mannila, L., Nordén, L. Å., & Pears, A. (2018, August). Digital competence, teacher self-efficacy and training needs. In Proceedings of the 2018 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research (pp. 78-85). https://doi.org/10.1145/3230977.3230993
Masry-Herzallah, A. (2022). Teachers’ perceived effectiveness in online teaching during Covid-19 crisis: Comparing Jewish/Arab teachers in Israel. International Journal of Instruction, 15(3), 649-676.
Meyers, L. S., Gamst, G., & Guarino, A. J. (2013). Applied multivariate research: Design and interpretation (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
Meyers, L. S., Gamst, G., & Guarino, A. J. (2017). Applied multivariate research: Design and interpretation (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Ozkan, S., Koseler, R., and Baykal, N. (2009). Evaluating learning management systems: Adoption of hexagonal e-learning assessment model in higher education. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 3(2), 111-130.
Prior, D. D., Mazanov, J., Meacheam, D., Heaslip, G., & Hanson, J. (2016). Attitude, digital literacy and self efficacy: Flow-on effects for online learning behavior. The Internet and Higher Education, 29, 91-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2016.01.001
Robinia, K. A., & Anderson, M. L. (2010). Online teaching efficacy of nurse faculty. Journal of Professional Nursing, 26(3), 168–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2010.02.006
Rudestam, K. E. (2004). Distributed education and the role of online learning in training professional psychologists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 35(4), 427. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0735-7028.35.4.427
Ruziyeva, N. Z., & Amonova, Z. A. (2022, June). Online education: Benefits and challenges. In International conferences on learning and teaching (Vol. 1, No. 9, pp. 204-207).
Saha, S. M., Pranty, S. A., Rana, M. J., Islam, M. J., & Hossain, M. E. (2022). Teaching during a pandemic: do university teachers prefer online teaching? Heliyon, 8(1), e08663. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.heliyon.2021.e08663
Samari, Maryam (2018). Presenting an effective teaching model in the university: analysis of professors' point of view, management in an Islamic university. 8(17): 183-205. (Text in
Persian).
Sejzi, A. A., Aris, B., & Yahya, N. (2012). The phenomenon of virtual university in new age: trends and changes. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 56, 565-572 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.689
Singh, V., & Thurman, A. (2019). How many ways can we define online learning? A systematic literature review of definitions of online learning (1988-2018). American Journal of Distance Education, 33(4), 289-306. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2019.1663082
Tang, Y., & Tseng, H. W. (2013). Distance learners' self-efficacy and information literacy skills. The journal of academic librarianship, 39(6), 517-521.
Vlasenko, K. V., Lovianova, I. V., Rovenska, O. G., Armash, T. S., & Achkan, V. V. (2021, June). Development of the online course for training master students majoring in mathematics. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1946, No. 1, p. 012001). IOP Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1946/1/012001
Weschke, B., Barclay, R. D., & Vandersall, K. (2011). Online teacher education: Exploring the impact of a reading and literacy program on student learning. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 15(2), 22-43. https://doi.org/10.24059/OLJ.V15I2.174
Yada, A., Leskinen, M., Savolainen, H., & Schwab, S. (2022). Meta-analysis of the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes toward inclusive education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 109, 103521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103521
Yasini, Ali and Taban Mohammad (2014). Studying the effectiveness of virtual education courses from the point of view of professors and students (case study: University of Tehran). Iran's higher education. 7 (4): 200-175. (Text in
Persian).
Zhang, Y (2003). EdD. University students' usage and perception of the internet. J Educ Technol Syst. 24(9):322-350.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics