An AIDA model of Taiwanese learners’ participation in online influencers’ language courses: self-congruence and influencer attractiveness as moderators

The Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (AIDA) model is adopted in this study to examine whether the attention given to a course is associated with learners’ interest in the course content and learning, as well as their engagement and intention to participate in the influencer’s online language course. Additionally, self-congruence and influencer attractiveness are considered moderators. A total of 968 valid responses were collected from Taiwanese learners through major social platforms and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that perceived originality, perceived meaningfulness of the online courses, and endorsement were positively related to interest in online course content and interest in learning, and that the latter two were positively associated with learner engagement, which was positively linked to participation intention. This study suggests that influencers may benefit from providing unique content to better capture their learners’ interest. To better tailor their courses to students’ learning needs, influencers can conduct online surveys, monitor student feedback, and adjust their courses accordingly. Additionally, influencers should regularly update their social media channels to maintain engagement with their audience. Given that the data were collected in Taiwan, the findings primarily reflect the characteristics of Taiwanese online learners, and future research could examine cross-cultural differences in motivations and engagement dynamics. Online course platforms may also consider evaluating the compatibility of their audience with potential influencers before committing to a long-term partnership.