Students' motivation towards traditional versus online academic learning

In recent years, the rapid expansion of online learning in higher education has raised important questions regarding its impact on students' academic motivation and satisfaction. Despite the growing adoption of digital learning environments, empirical evidence comparing motivational outcomes between online and traditional face-to-face instruction remains limited. The present study aims to investigate differences in academic motivation and satisfaction across these two learning formats, while also examining the influence of selected demographic and educational variables. A questionnaire-based survey with closed-ended items was administered to a sample of 391 bachelor's and master's students enrolled in Educational Sciences and Physical Education and Sports programs. Differences in students' satisfaction with online and face-to-face learning were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Additionally, standardized regression analyses (β coefficients) were conducted to examine the relationship between satisfaction levels and variables such as study program, type of study, and student status. The results indicate statistically significant differences in satisfaction between online and traditional learning environments, with higher satisfaction levels reported for online learning. Furthermore, satisfaction was positively associated with the study program, type of study, and student status. These findings suggest that online learning environments may better align with students' motivational needs, highlighting the importance of considering both instructional format and learner characteristics when designing higher education programs.