Investigating Psychological Motivations to Use Online Physical Learning: A Theoretical Study in the Dance Education

Introduction

The coronavirus pandemic in the last three years has significantly impacted people’s lifestyles and society in many ways.¹ As a result of technological advancements, people have become accustomed to remote working, online conferences, and contactless shopping. The education industry has also been affected, with more schools opening online classes to minimize physical contacts. The shift from physical to online classes has numerous advantages, including flexibility in time and place, increased effectiveness of acquiring knowledge, removal of barriers, streamlined communication, and inspiration for students to develop ideas.² Scholars have also suggested that online learning helps deal with shortages of academic staff and enables students to customize their course progress (Arkorful & Abaidoo, 2015). However, some researchers have found that online learning can be challenging in terms of setting up equipment and providing corrective feedback.³ Therefore, exploring students’ attitudes and satisfaction with online teaching is essential, particularly in the context of the pandemic.

Online dance education has also become increasingly popular among higher education students in the art and physical field. China currently uses several well-known educational platforms in the field of dance education, such as Zoom and TikTok.⁴ However, the rise of online dance teaching is accompanied by both opportunities and challenges, and understanding students’ attitudes and intentions is critical for the sustainable development of online dance education.⁵ Despite existing studies on students’ attitudes toward online education, there is a lack of theory-based empirical research in the field of dance education. As dance education involves physical and artistic interactions between students and teachers, it has its own unique characteristics that should be studied individually.

To fill this research gap, our study aims to design a theory-driven model to explain the psychological factors influencing students’ attitudes and intentions to use online dance education platforms. We selected the self-determination theory to explain the three important psychological drivers of the desire to participate in activities: autonomy, competence, and connection. This theory has rarely been used in the field of dance education. Our research question is, “How do the aspects of self-determination theory, autonomy, competence, and connection, influence students’ intention to use online dance platforms?”

To address the research question, we designed questionnaire survey and administrated the survey online to collected data. We collected data from online dance participants in China and the data are collected from February 1st, 2023 to February 10th, 2023. A total of 198 valid responses are collected for structural equation modeling analysis to find out the relationships between different concepts.

Overall, our study provides theoretical support and management inspiration for the development of online dance education, especially during the pandemic. To the best of the author, our study is the first to operationalize self-determinant theory to understand students’ motivations to use online dance learning. Due to the unique demands of dance education, such as the need for close communication and feedback, this study can enhance educators’ understanding of students’ needs and promote the sustainable development of online learning.

Literature

Research Model

Our research model is constructed from self-determinant theory and presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1 The research model.

Self-determination theory explains how human motivation and personality affect behavior.⁶ This theory is based on three key concepts: perceived autonomy, perceived competence, and perceived relatedness. Perceived autonomy refers to the psychological need to regulate one’s actions, and it means “the feeling one has a choice and willingly endorses one’s behavior”.⁷ Perceived competence refers to the psychological need to be able to achieve desirable results with one’s actions and means “the experience of mastery and being effective in one’s activity”.⁷ Perceived relatedness refers to the psychological need to communicate and relate to others and means “the need to feel connected and a sense of belongingness with others” (https://www.urmc.rochester.edu). These three constructs are essential motivations for individuals to pursue goals in society. The theory has been used to study motivations to engage in education. For example, Sun, Li⁸ used self-determination theory to study motivations to participate in physical education, while Lavigne, Vallerand⁹ used a self-determinant approach to study persistence in science education. However, this theory has been rarely used to specifically study students’ attitudes towards online dance education. Therefore, this study makes a contribution to research by employing self-determination constructs to study the factors influencing students’ attitudes and intentions to use online dance education.

In our study, we adapted the constructs of self-determination theory for the special characteristics of online dance education. For perceived autonomy, we consider that during the COVID-19 pandemic, students are restricted by social distancing measures and lose a lot of control on their flexibility to arrange life. From this perspective, online dance education provides flexibility to students during social isolation and gives students more efficacy in themselves. Therefore, autonomy on flexibility is presumed to be an important factor to encourage students to have a high evaluation of online dance education. For perceived competence, students demand well-structured courses to make progress and ensure they can dance safely. From this dimension, we consider that online dance education should be well organized to make students clear about each dance step. Moreover, students should use different platforms, such as Tiktok and Zoom, and rely on the internet to take classes. The ease of use and positive experiences during usage can be important. Therefore, perceived competence of class organization and competence of usage are presumed to influence students’ perceived value of online dance courses as well. Lastly, as for perceived relatedness, students have demands to interact with instructors so that they can receive in-time guidance and encouragement. This demand cannot be overlooked by online dance education. Hence we presume that the feeling of relatedness with instructors is important, and propose the construct named perceived relatedness with instructors.

Perceived value theory is used to study the mediation relationship between attitude and intention to use online dance classes. Perceived value theory states that rational people tend to select things that convey the highest value.^10,11 This theory is suitable because if students perceive that online dance classes can provide them with economic values such as cost reduction from time flexibility, functional values such as high-quality displays, and social benefits such as safety protection in the health pandemic, they will be more willing to use online dance classes.¹² The application of this theory can help us to understand students’ subjective evaluations about online dance education. Furthermore, the combination of self-determination theory and perceived value theory can provide a deep understanding of how to enhance students’ perceived value by enhancing internal motivation.

Furthermore, building on previous research that has demonstrated that perceived value is influenced by attitudes and can also affect users’ behavioral intentions,¹³ we make an additional assumption about the relationship between students’ attitudes, perceived value, and intentions to use online dance classes. By examining these hypotheses, we can investigate whether the relationship between attitude, perceived value, and intention is applicable to the online dance education field. The detailed hypotheses are presented below.

Research Hypothesis

Perceived Autonomy on Flexibility and Students’ Attitude

Students are largely constrained by space and movement during the coronavirus pandemic due to government restrictions on going to public areas.¹⁴ Dance schools are also high-risk areas and many have been forced to close to control the spread of the virus. During this time, online dance classes have allowed students to continue their classes from the safety of their homes. Students only need a phone or computer to attend classes regularly, without having to commute to a physical location. Online dance classes can provide students with more time flexibility and greater control over their schedule. The high level of perceived autonomy can make students view online dance as a valuable option and develop positive attitudes towards it. Previous studies have also supported the positive influence of perceived autonomy on attitude Chen, 2022, Chen and Hypnar, 2015). Therefore, we hypothesize that:

H1: Perceived autonomy on flexibility has a positive influence on students’ attitude to online dance education.

Perceived Competence of Class Organization and Students’ Attitude

Dance education follows a strict curriculum.¹⁵ For example, in Chinese classical dance, different levels of courses correspond to different materials. Instructors should carefully design course materials based on students’ progress. For online dance classes, students display their movements remotely, and this places even higher demands on instructors’ ability to observe students and organize the entire class. Students have a high demand for personalized and diversified dance learning.¹⁶ They also demand well-structured courses to protect themselves from getting hurt. When students find that there is an expert managing their online class, and their needs for well-structured classes are satisfied, they are presumed to have a more positive attitude towards the progress they can make during online dance classes. Therefore, we hypothesize that:

H2: Perceived competence of class organization has a positive influence on students’ attitudes to online dance education.

Perceived Competence of Usage and Students’ Attitude

Access to online systems has been identified as a critical success factor in online education.¹⁷ Previous studies have also identified challenges associated with using online classes, such as a lack of knowledge on how to use the online platforms (Ambawati et al, 2021). If users perceive themselves as competent in using online platforms, they tend to be more confident and, therefore, have more positive attitudes towards online education.

Regarding online dance education, students are expected to be able to operate the platform well and have good knowledge of how to communicate with instructors, how to upload their videos, and how to receive feedback. If students can easily use online dance platforms and have high-quality online demonstrations from instructors, they are more likely to be satisfied with online dance education. Therefore, we hypothesize:

H3: Perceived competence of platform usage has a positive influence on students’ attitudes to online dance education.

Perceived Relatedness with Instructors and Students’ Attitude

Dance requires extensive interaction with instructors, and students need timely and constructive feedback to improve their skills. If instructors fail to provide timely feedback, students may develop incorrect techniques, which become increasingly difficult to correct over time. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased feelings of loneliness.¹⁸ In online dance classes, where there is a physical distance between students and instructors, the sense of connection can be even more important. Therefore, we hypothesize that:

H4: Perceived relatedness with instructors has a positive influence on students’ attitudes to online dance education.

Students’ Attitudes and Perceived Value

Perceived value refers to users’ overall perception of a product’s utility, which is measured by weighing the benefits against the costs of the product.^19,20 Previous research has found that users’ positive attitudes can positively influence perceived value, while negative attitudes can negatively affect perceived value.¹³ The underlying logic is that when users have a positive and favorable attitude towards a product, they are more likely to evaluate it highly than when they have negative emotions. Therefore, if students perceive online dance education as interesting and enjoyable, they are more likely to evaluate it positively. Based on these arguments, we hypothesize that:

H5: Attitudes toward online dance education have a positive influence on students’ perceived value.

Students’ Attitude and Intention to Use Online Dance Education

Many studies prove user attitudes have a significant influence on user behavior.^21–23 From a social psychological dimension, user’s positive psychological conditions can affect user behavior to different degrees. If students feel online dance classes are satisfactory and interesting, the positive attitudes can motive them to be willing to take online dance courses. Therefore, we hypothesise that

H6: Students’ attitudes to online dance education have a positive influence on the intention to use online dance education.

Perceived Value and Intention to Use Online Dance Education

Perceived value positively influences students’ intention to use online dance classes, as students are more likely to choose products that offer them the greatest value.²⁴ If students believe that online dance classes provide them with sufficient benefits, such as time flexibility, safety, high-quality teaching, and effective communication, they are more likely to use online dance classes to improve their skills. Therefore, it is hypothesized that perceived value has a positive impact on students’ intention to use online dance classes.

H7: Perceived value has a positive influence on the intention to use online dance class education.

Methodology

Measurement Items

We use measurement items to measure the seven latent constructs listed in the previous section. The constructs, measurement items and sources are listed in Table 1. The items are adapted from literature and developed to match the purpose of this study. All items are measured on seven-point Likert scale.

Table 1 Measurement Items

Sampling Process

To test our research model, we collected data through an online survey. Prior to conducting the survey, we obtained ethics approval from our home university, and after review by the ethics committee, it was determined that the survey did not reveal any personal information and was therefore exempt from further ethical review. The approval code for the study is XFEC-2023-001. The survey was administered in Chinese using the online survey platform “Jianshu”. Participants who completed the survey were rewarded with $2.

The survey consisted of three sections. The first section included a filter question to screen out respondents who had not taken online dance classes. If respondents answered no to this question, they were directed to stop answering the survey. The second section included measurement items, which were rated on a 7-point Likert Scale. We also included an attention checker in this section to ensure participants were paying attention to the survey instructions. The third and final section consisted of demographic questions.

The data collection period was from February 1st, 2023 to February 10th, 2023. After removing incomplete and failed attention check questionnaires, a total of 198 completed surveys were collected.

Data Analysis Method

We proceed to test the theoretical model using a two-step process. First, confirmatory factor analysis is done to test the reliability of the measurement model. Next, structural equation modeling is done to test the proposed hypotheses.

Results

Demographic Analysis Results

The demographic information of the respondents is shown in Table 2. Concerning the gender distribution, females take a larger proportion, due to the characteristics of dance. In China, more females take dance classes than males. Concerning the age distribution, most respondents are below 30 years old, indicating that the responses more reflect the opinions of younger generations. Concerning the education distribution, most respondents hold a Bachelor's degree, meaning that they are able to answer the questionnaire items reasonably.

Table 2 Demographic Information

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results

We first did confirmatory factor analysis to test the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The results are listed in Table 3 as follows.

Table 3 Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results

The measurement model has a good model fit. The statistics of model fits are as follows: the Comparative Fit index is 0.972, the Tucker-Lewis index is 0.963, the Bollen’s Incremental Fit index is 0.970. The three values are all higher than the critical value of 0.95.²⁸ The root mean square error of approximation (RMESA) is 0.053 and the standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) is 0.044, well below the critical value of 0.08.²⁸ The factor loadings are all larger than 0.70 and CR values are larger than 0.80, so the items are reliable. The AVE values are all larger than 0.5, which means that convergent validity is supported.

The results of discriminant validity are listed in Table 4. We observe that the squared correlation between any pair of constructs is lower than the AVE values, so the discriminant validity is supported. Hence, the measurement model is suitable for doing structural equation modelling.

Table 4 Discriminant Validity

Structural Equation Modelling Results

Structural equation modelling is performed using AMOS. The results are listed in Table 5. The model fits are satisfying. The CFI, TLI and IFI are higher than 0.95. RMESA and SRMR are 0.053 and 0.044 respectively, below 0.08. All hypotheses are supported by empirical data. H1, H2, H3, and H4 are supported at a 0.95 significance level; moreover, H5 to H6 are significant at a 0.001 significance level.

Table 5 Structural Equation Modelling Results

To be specific, perceived autonomy of flexibility is shown to have a positive influence on attitudes (β = 0.326, p < 0.05). This finding is consistent with previous research that has identified perceived autonomy as an important predictor of attitudes towards using online educational technologies.^26,29 Our results extend this research by being the first to demonstrate that the relationship between perceived autonomy and attitudes also applies to the context of online dance education. This is an important finding given that during the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been subject to various social-distancing policies that have restricted their ability to attend in-person classes. Providing time and space flexibility through online dance classes has been a valuable way to help students maintain their interest in dance education.

In addition, our study found that perceived competence of class organization (β = 0.213, p < 0.05) and usage (β = 0.311, p < 0.05) have a positive influence on attitudes. This finding is consistent with previous research demonstrating that perceived competence is an important factor in technology adoption in education.³⁰ We make novel contribution to this literature by providing a deeper understanding of competence in the context of online dance education, using two constructs (class arrangement and system usage) to represent perceived competence. Our findings suggest that students value well-organized online dance classes that are comparable in quality to offline classes. They also value user-friendly online dance systems that are easy to use. These findings suggest that instructors need to be mindful of the importance of good design and functionality when developing online dance education systems.

Furthermore, our study found that perceived relatedness has the highest influence on students’ attitudes towards online dance classes (β = 0.413, p < 0.05). This finding is consistent with previous research that highlight the importance of perceived relatedness in predicting attitudes towards technology use.³¹ Moreover, our study makes novel contributes to this literature by specifically examining the role of perceived relatedness in the context of online dance education. Our findings suggest that dance education is a highly interactive activity, and that the sense of relatedness with instructors is especially important in the online context where direct observation and guidance are more challenging. Instructors should be aware of the importance of fostering a sense of relatedness with students to promote positive attitudes towards online dance classes.

Finally, our study found that positive attitudes towards online dance classes have a positive influence on students’ intention to use them via the mediation effect of perceived value. This finding is consistent with previous research demonstrating that attitudes have a positive influence on perceived value, which in turn has a positive influence on intention to use.^32–34 Our study extends this literature by demonstrating that perceived value partially mediates the relationship between attitudes and intention to use online dance classes. Instructors should be aware that fostering positive attitudes towards online dance classes may increase students’ perceived value of these classes and ultimately their intention to use them.

Limitations

This study has limitations as well. First, this study only uses self-determinant theory and perceived value theory to build the model. Future studies can try using more theories or combine different theories to find out more influential factors. Second, this study is done in mainland China. Different countries or regions can have different characteristics. Therefore, the future study can do research in different counties to validate results. Third, further research can collect more demographic information and compare the difference between different groups (eg, female and male).

Conclusion

Summary of Results

Our study investigates the factors influencing students’ attitudes during online dance classes. Using the three dimensions of self-determination theory, we explore the psychological factors that shape students’ attitudes and intentions towards online dance learning. We develop four latent constructs that align with the three dimensions: perceived autonomy of flexibility, perceived competence of class organization, perceived competence of platform usage, and perceived relatedness with instructors. We hypothesize that these constructs affect students’ intention to use online dance education through their attitudes towards it. We propose five hypotheses based on this model and collect data from students in China to test them. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, we find support for all hypotheses. The results show that perceived autonomy of flexibility, perceived competence of class organization and platform usage, and perceived relatedness with instructors have a positive influence on attitudes, which in turn have both direct and indirect positive effects on students’ intention to use online dance education. Overall, our study contributes to the literature on online education by exploring the role of self-determination theory in predicting students’ attitudes towards and intention to use online dance classes. Our results provide insights into how autonomy, competence, and relatedness influence students’ attitudes towards online dance classes, and how those attitudes, in turn, predict intention to use these classes.

Implications

Our study contributes to the literature by providing insights into the factors that influence students’ attitudes towards and intention to use online dance classes. Our findings highlight the importance of self-determination theory in understanding these factors and suggest that instructors should be mindful of the importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness when designing and delivering online dance education. These findings have implications for education policymakers, practitioners, and researchers seeking to improve the quality and effectiveness of online dance education.

The theoretical contributions refer to the extension of theories, development of models and items, and the collection of empirical data. Firstly, this study extends the self-determination theory to the online dance education context, providing a new perspective for understanding students’ motivation to use online dance classes. While the self-determination theory has been used in education to explore students’ motivations, online education and dance education can have their own unique characteristics and require additional research. Therefore, the extension of the self-determination theory to online dance education helps to explain the explanatory power of the theory and provide additional support to the contents. Secondly, this study develops constructs for online dance education using the self-determination theory, enhancing our understanding of how motivations trigger students’ intention to use online dance classes. The measurement items are shown to be reliable and valid. The items can be revised for use in other studies. The proposed research model and corresponding measurement items provide a good reference for future studies on how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations influence students’ attitudes and intentions towards online dance education. Thirdly, the focus on autonomy, competence, relatedness, and motivation improves our understanding of important drivers of students’ attitudes towards online dance education. Thirdly, this study provides empirical evidence on students’ intention to use online dance classes. Given that there is limited research in this area, this study enriches existing studies by studying this topic and providing empirical data.

This study provides several managerial implications as well. Firstly, as the autonomy of time is shown to be an important motivator, dancing educators should provide a flexible timetable that considers students’ backgrounds and learning hours. For example, they can arrange more demanded classes at night for people who work from home during the daytime. They can also understand students’ demands and try to maximize time efficiency. Secondly, as the results shown that students care about the effective arrangement of classes, instructors should prepare a detailed class arrangement plan, which they can post on social media to make it easy for students to read. They can also send the plan to students individually and update it regularly. This strategy can make students feel that the online dancing classes are well arranged, and they are able to learn dancing skills step by step. Thirdly, the quality of classes is shown to be of critical importance to students’ intention to use online learning, therefore, dancing schools should choose good partners to provide high-quality dancing classes to students. They should effectively collect students’ feedback and improve service quality. Fourthly, the communication online is an important motivator of students’ use intention, considering that dance education requires timely feedback on gestures. Therefore, instructors should have good communication with students during online dance classes. They should pay attention to each student by controlling the class size and improving the screen quality. They should provide effective feedback to students and correct their motions as they did in physical classes. They should make sure the communication with students is not delayed due to online teaching. Good communication and interaction with students can be a critical factor in improving students’ willingness to use online dance learning. Lastly, instructors should try to enhance students’ perceived value of online dance classes. The functional, economic, and social values of online dance classes can be passed on to students through social media like WeChat. They should continue to motivate students to foster a positive attitude and a high perceived value of online dance classes.