A Tale of Two Platforms: Decoding the Digital Footprints of High School Students in Bilingual Scaffolded MOOCs

While Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are widely used in higher education, their application and effectiveness for high school students, especially English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners grappling with language barriers in English-Medium Instruction environments, remain underexplored. There is a recognized gap in understanding how high school students’ attitudes toward English, self-regulated learning motivation, online behaviors, and perceptions of course design within bilingual scaffolded MOOCs (courses providing linguistic and instructional support in both students’ native language and English) influence course completion outcomes. A mixed-methods design was employed, involving 115 high school students from Northern Taiwan. Data were collected throughout an eight-week intervention. Results show: (1) those perceiving English as practical demonstrated higher self-regulated learning (SRL) motivation and learning satisfaction; (2) discussion participation was a significant predictor of course completion, while reading materials and watching videos were not significant predictors; (3) students primarily valued content knowledge, learning strategies, and language knowledge, and suggested improvements related to information accessibility and course design, including more explicit instructor guidance. The results suggest that MOOC designers and online educators should foster a positive attitude and belief toward English as a Lingua Franca, increase SRL, and design online lessons featuring easy-to-access materials and interactive activities. This study contributes to the broader discourse on inclusive and accessible online learning for global high school students.