Study Demands and Resources in Distance Education—Their Associations with Engagement, Emotional Exhaustion, and Academic Success
Distance learning offers enhanced flexibility and reduced access restrictions, making it increasingly popular among non-traditional students and those juggling academic studies with professional and family obligations. This study explored the associations between study demands and resources (decisio...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/6/664 |
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| Summary: | Distance learning offers enhanced flexibility and reduced access restrictions, making it increasingly popular among non-traditional students and those juggling academic studies with professional and family obligations. This study explored the associations between study demands and resources (decision latitude and social support from lecturers and peers) and different study outcomes by applying the Job Demands-Resources Model in a distance learning context. Based on the model’s assumptions, we hypothesized that academic demands negatively predict study success in distance learning, while decision latitude and social support from lecturers and peers positively affect it. These associations were expected to be mediated by emotional exhaustion and different dimensions of engagement. The cross-sectional online study involved 286 psychology students from a German distance university. The multivariate path model revealed an association of demands and decision latitude with perceptions of competence and study satisfaction. While demands were significantly correlated with the grade point average, decision latitude was not. Consistent with the model’s assumptions, these effects were partially mediated by exhaustion and engagement. We did not find significant incremental associations of social support with the outcomes. The findings concerning measures to support students in distance education were discussed. |
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| ISSN: | 2227-7102 |