An Empirical Investigation of Student Achievement and Satisfaction in Different Learning Environments.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three different methods of instructional delivery (online instruction, traditional face-to-face instruction, and a combination of online and traditional instruction) on student achievement and satis-faction levels used in an undergraduate Wellness course at a Midwestern university. Differences in the student ratings of the course and instructor, quality of learning, quality of communication, and support were also examined. One hundred fifty-three undergraduate students (71 men, 82 women; between the ages of 18 and 55 years,. M=22.5 years, SD=7.0) completed a survey for this study. A survey was developed to examine student demographics, student perceptions of online learning, and student satisfaction levels. Comparing the mean scores of a written pretest and post-test among three groups was used to determine the content knowledge achievement of students. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Post hoc Scheffé multiple comparisons were conducted to compare the effects of the three different methods of instructional delivery on student achievement and satisfaction levels. The results of this study indicated that students in the online learning group and the combined