Exploring the Antecedents of Online Learning Satisfaction: Role of Flow and Comparison Between use Contexts

Learners’ satisfaction plays a critical role in the success of online learning platform. Many factors that affect online learning satisfaction have been addressed by previous studies. However, the mechanisms by which these factors are associated with online learning satisfaction are not sufficiently clear. Moreover, the difference in the antecedents of online learning satisfaction between two use contexts- Mobile context and PC context, was rarely examined. Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, we investigate the key factors (self-efficacy, social interaction, platform quality, teacher’s expertise) affecting flow and highlights its role in online learning satisfaction, which is empirically tested through an online survey of 333 online learners. Results show that self-efficacy, teacher’s expertise, platform quality, and social interaction positively affect online learning satisfaction through the mediation of flow. Use contexts not only moderate the relationship between flow and online learning satisfaction, but also between social interaction, platform quality, teacher’s expertise, and flow. These new findings expand educators with ways to increase flow, add to knowledge about the relationship between flow and online learning satisfaction and provide references for online learning platforms to enhance learners’ online learning satisfaction under multiple-version affordances.