Developing a New Model for Understanding Teacher Satisfaction With Online Learning

摘要

Teacher online learning is an important way to solve teacher shortage and improve teachers’ professional development. However, previous research works that focused on teacher-as-learner satisfaction with online learning were not enough. The aim of this study is to investigate factors that influence teacher satisfaction with online learning. The potential relation and whether there are differences in gender and teaching year among the factors were also studied. The Teacher Satisfaction Index (TSI) model is newly proposed based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) model. A questionnaire survey was administered to 108 middle school teachers from four cities in China. Structure equation modeling was used to corroborate the initial model hypotheses regarding the relationship between variables (teacher satisfaction, teacher perceived quality, teacher expectation, teacher loyalty, and teacher complaint). A t-test and analysis of variance were conducted to investigate whether gender and teaching year were related to teacher satisfaction with online learning. Three main findings emerged. First, perceived quality predicted by teacher expectation significantly influenced teacher satisfaction with online learning. Also, teacher satisfaction significantly affected complaints and loyalty. Second, gender had no effect on the five variables. Third, teaching year played a significant role in teacher expectation. This study provides empirical evidence on what factors affect teacher satisfaction with online learning, gives insight into the development of the teacher online learning system, and suggests designer and administrator strategies for the platform content design and management.