Digital leisure motivational interference decreases college students’ online learning satisfaction: the roles of academic emotions and parental autonomy support

Abstract Previous studies have pointed out that leisure motivational interference was an important factor affecting students’ learning satisfaction. This study concentrates on three unexplored areas in the current literature on leisure motivational interference and learning satisfaction. Specifically, it is the first to (a) focus on the effects of digital leisure motivational interference (DLMI) on online learning satisfaction; (b) separate the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of DLMI (DLMI-C, DLMI-A, and DLMI-B) when examining its effects; and (c) reveal how these three components influence online learning satisfaction. We conducted a questionnaire survey among 1041 Chinese college students who engaged in online learning, utilizing several measures: the Digital Leisure Motivational Interference Scale, the Academic Emotions Questionnaire, the Parental Autonomy Support Scale, and the Online Learning Satisfaction Scale. The results showed that (a) DLMI-C, DLMI-A, and DLMI-B negatively predicted online learning satisfaction, respectively; however, the differences in their effects were not significant; (b) academic emotions, both positive and negative, played the mediating roles between the three components of DLMI and online learning satisfaction; (c) parental autonomy support moderated the relationship between academic emotions (positive and negative) and online learning satisfaction. Notably, learners with higher levels of parental autonomy support reported greater online learning satisfaction compared to those with lower levels of support, particularly when experiencing lower frequency of academic emotions, whether positive or negative.