As part of the social distancing measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19, many university courses were moved online. There is an assumption that online teaching limits opportunities for fostering interpersonal relationships and students’ satisfaction of the basic need for relatedness – reflected by experiencing meaningful interpersonal connections and belonging – which are considered important prerequisites for student motivation and vitality. In educational settings, an important factor affecting students’ relatedness satisfaction is the teachers’ behavior. Although research suggests that relatedness satisfaction (...) may be impaired in online education settings, to date no study has assessed how university lecturers’ relatedness support might be associated with student relatedness satisfaction and therefore, student motivation and vitality. This study tested this mediating relationship using data collected during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also investigated whether the relations were moderated by a high affiliation motive which reflects a dispositional wish for positive and warm relationships. The possible importance of the communication channel selected by the lecturers and the format of a class were also investigated. In a sample of N = 337 students, we tested our hypotheses using structural equation model. Results confirmed mediation, but not moderation. The use of video chat seems to facilitate the provision of relatedness support but our data did not show that the format of a class was associated with relatedness. Our findings indicate that both teaching behavior and the technical format used to deliver lectures play important roles in student experiences with online classes. The results are discussed in light of other research conducted during the pandemic. (shrink)

Since motivation determines progress in the class, it has a significant role in the field of learning English as a foreign language, contributing to a successful learning process. Therefore, teachers need to motivate learners to achieve their learning goals and provide them with a meaningful learning process in stressful situations. Two factors are required to successfully overcome challenges in scholastic circumstances, such as academic buoyancy and social support. The former can be a significant element in a psycho-educational setting that helps (...) learners with academic difficulties and the latter is another term that is deemed as an important predictor of academic motivation even when considering perceived support from teachers and peers. The functions of academic buoyancy and social support factors in the process of learning and their association with students’ motivation have not been taken into account so far. As a result, this review has implications for scholars, theorists, and practitioners in quest of better investigating and addressing the roles of buoyancy and social support on students’ motivation. (shrink)