Abstract
This study attempted to identify the factors that influenced learners’ motivation to participate in synchronous online classes. A questionnaire was created based on 73 university students’ responses to an open-ended question on factors that raised or lowered their motivation to participate in synchronous online classes. Using the questionnaire, data was gathered from 186 students at two women’s universities in Tokyo. The results of factor analyses indicated that the learners’ motivation was enhanced by “ease of participating in class,” “a feeling of working with others,” “ease of understanding the content,” “no need for commuting and moving between classrooms,” and “ease of expressing opinions and asking questions.” The results also showed that their motivation was reduced by “technical trouble,” “difficulty of communicating,” “a lack of challenge and fulfillment,” “an overwhelming amount of homework,” and “a feeling of fatigue.” The findings suggested that educators should pay careful attention to these factors to enhance and maintain learners’ motivation to participate in synchronous online classes.
