Behavioral engagement in LMS-supported hospitality and tourism education: a heutagogical perspective on online and blended learning

This study examines the role of behavioral engagement, measured through Learning Management System (LMS) data, in explaining learning performance in hospitality and tourism education across fully online and blended instructional formats. Using LMS trace data collected from identical course sections between 2020 and 2024 (n = 297), mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using PROCESS models. Results indicate that behavioral engagement strongly predicts learning performance and partially mediates the effects of gender and course requirement status on academic outcomes, whereas academic grade level does not exhibit an indirect effect through engagement. Instructional modality did not moderate the engagement – performance relationship, suggesting that the influence of behavioral engagement remains consistent across online and blended formats when course design is held constant. These findings provide pedagogical insights and advance heutagogical theory by demonstrating how self-determined learning can be operationalized through observable LMS-based engagement behaviors.