The The Relationship between Social Anxiety, Attitudes toward Teaching Methods, and Lecture Satisfaction in College Students: The Moderated Mediating Effect of Academic Self-Efficacy

Objectives The present study aimed to examine whether attitudes toward teaching methods mediate the relationship between college students’ social anxiety and course satisfaction. Furthermore, we investigated whether academic self-efficacy moderates mediating effect. Methods This study collected data from 271 undergraduate students enrolled at a university in Gyeongsangnam-do to measure their levels of social anxiety, attitudes toward various teaching methods (such as soliciting student opinions, using media, requiring note-taking, instructor behavior, and lecture-style teaching), academic self-efficacy, and course satisfaction. The data were analyzed using Models 4 and 14 of SPSS MACRO PROCESS 3.5. Results First, a positive correlation was found between social anxiety and attitudes toward teaching methods, while a negative correlation was found between social anxiety and both lecture satisfaction and self-efficacy. Second, the mediating effects of all teaching methods except for lecture-style teaching were significant in the relationship between social anxiety and course satisfaction. Third, the moderating effect of academic self-efficacy was found only in the mediating relationship between social anxiety and lecture satisfaction through attitudes toward soliciting student opinions. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that instructors should consider the potential negative consequences of adopting active learning approaches, as some students may experience declines in their academic achievement or lecture satisfaction.