Building bridges to engineering interest: Connections between student perceptions of instructor actions and interest in engineering classes

Abstract Background Development of subject‐matter interest can motivate long‐term learning. Prior research indicates that what instructors do in learning environments and how students feel about their relationship to instructors influence students' learning via the motivational mechanism of interest. This study's research into instructor actions in online learning contexts and in student perceptions of relatedness and interest was inspired by the 21st century transition to online instruction accelerated by COVID‐19. Purpose/Hypothesis(es) This study sought to determine links between student‐perceived teaching presence and immediacy behaviors, perceptions of relatedness to the instructor, and course subject interest. We hypothesized that student interest develops from instructor actions mediated by perceptions of relatedness to the instructor. Design/Method Multiple methods were used to investigate associations between instructor actions in college‐level engineering courses taught synchronously online and students' perceptions of relatedness to instructor and interest. Qualitative interviews with engineering instructors corroborated use of teaching presence and immediacy behaviors as constructs to describe online instructional actions. Quantitative surveys were administered to undergraduate students ( n = 141) enrolled in synchronous, online engineering classes. Qualitative interviews with 10 students supplemented survey findings. Results Path modeling and regression models of results indicated that students' perceptions of teaching presence online, but not immediacy behaviors, were predictive of relatedness to instructor and situational interest in course content. Qualitative data corroborated the survey findings by giving voice to students' lived experience. Conclusions Synthesis of results suggests strategies that could develop teaching presence and enhance student perceptions of relatedness to instructors online, ultimately enhancing interest in engineering.