The Effects of Online Learning Readiness on Self-Regulated Learning for the First-Time Online Learning Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa

The study examined how different Online Learning Readiness (OLR) profiles influence Online Self-Regulated Learning (OSRL) strategies among first-time online learning (FOL) students. Data were collected from 262 university students in North China during spring 2021. K-means clustering identified distinct OLR groups, and one-way MANOVA tested OSRL differences across groups. Results show that higher OLR aligns with stronger OSRL, including goal setting, environmental structuring, task strategies, time management, help-seeking, and self-evaluation. Findings inform how OLR supports self-regulation during the transition from COVID-19 to post-pandemic online learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research gap and rationale

Study design and analysis

Participants and data collection

Clustering and group comparison

Findings

Differences in OSRL across OLR profiles

Implications

Support for FOL students in online learning

The Effects of Online Learning Readiness on Self-Regulated Learning for the First-Time Online Learning Students Yan Dai, Lingfei Luan, Xi Lin Abstract: This study investigated the influence of students' different Online Learning Readiness (OLR) profiles on their Online Self-Regulated Learning (OSRL) strategies in the context of the first online learning experience (FOL) for students. The data was collected from 262 students in a four-year university in North China during the Spring of 2021. K-mean cluster analysis was conducted to identify groups of participants with distinct patterns of OLR, and one-way MANOVA was used to determine the difference in online OSRL between the different groups. The findings reveal that FOL students with greater levels of OLR also possessed higher levels of OSRL, including goal setting, environmental structuring, task strategies, time management, help-seeking, and self-evaluation. On the basis of the findings, the authors address the function of OLR in establishing OSRL in online learning and its implications for supporting FOL students' self-regulated learning in online learning. The study underlines the need of educating college students in China to succeed in online learning throughout the transition from the COVID-19 global pandemic to the post-pandemic period. Keywords: online learning readiness, self-regulated learning, online learning, Chinese higher education, COVID-19 Highlights What is already known about this topic: • OLR plays a critical role in students’ online learning outcomes. • Effectively using online self-regulated learning strategies is a key element in students’successful online learning. • Correlations have been found between students’ OLR and OSRL, but ORL and OSRL are often investigated separately in the existing literature. What this paper contributes: • This study fills the gap regarding how OLR and OSRL are correlated, the extent to which they are connected, and the correlations between specific OLR variables and SRL variables. • We particularly examine how first-time online students with different levels of OLR utilize SRLin online learning to help education professionals better understand the impact of OLR on OSRL for FOL students. • The study underlines the need to educate college students in China to succeed in online learning throughout the transition from the COVID-19 global pandemic to the post-pandemic period. Implications for theory, practice and/or policy: • The present study contributes to the literature by highlighting how OLR profiles FOL students'OSRL, which has pedagogical implications for higher educational institutions, policymakers, and educational professionals. • These findings are critical, especially in the transition from the COVID-19 global pandemic to the post-pandemic era. Introduction The significance of learning motivation and academic preparation to the academic achievement of college students has been universally acknowledged by educational professionals. Due to the extraordinary COVID-19 worldwide epidemic over the past three years, the student body has been forced into a countrywide online learning environment, away from campus, and frequently separated from their peers (Labrague et al. , 2021; Priyadarshini & Bhaumik, 2020) . The pandemic has forced students and educators across all levels of education to rapidly adapt to online learning (Lockee, 2021) . However, FOL students are prone to a lack of readiness due to technical preparation ignorance, inefficient communication, and maladaptive social capacities in the online learning environment. This lack of readiness precludes FOL students from achieving success in their learning. As the transition from the pandemic to the post-pandemic era occurs, some educational institutions may require an immediate return to traditional in-person classes. However, for many institutions, college students are back on campus, but there is still some reliance on online le

FAQs

What does the study investigate about first-time online learning students?

It investigates how different Online Learning Readiness (OLR) profiles affect students’ Online Self-Regulated Learning (OSRL) strategies during their first online learning experience.

How were participants grouped in the study?

K-means cluster analysis was used to identify participant groups showing distinct patterns of OLR among 262 students.

What is the relationship between OLR and OSRL found by the study?

FOL students with higher OLR also demonstrated higher OSRL, covering goal setting, environmental structuring, task strategies, time management, help-seeking, and self-evaluation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa