Predicting students' satisfaction with virtual education based on health-oriented lifestyle behaviors

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate student satisfaction with virtual education based on their health-oriented lifestyle behaviours. The present study was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population included all undergraduate students in engineering and psychological fields at Islamic Azad University of Shahre Rey during the second semester of 2020-2021. Of these students, 188 (93 engineering students and 95 psychology students) were randomly selected. To collect the data, an instrument for measuring satisfaction with virtual education as well as the measurement scale for health-oriented academic lifestyle behaviours (Salehzadeh et al., 2017) were used. Findings revealed that the components of a health-oriented lifestyle as a whole explain 37.4% of the variance in student satisfaction with virtual education. The relationship between health-oriented lifestyle facilitators (academic optimism, mastery goal orientation, and academic resilience) and student satisfaction with virtual education was positive and significant. The relationship between health-oriented lifestyle inhibitor components (learned helplessness and procrastination) and student satisfaction with virtual education was negative and significant. The relationship between effort withdrawal and student satisfaction with virtual education was not significant (p>0.05). There was no difference between the components of a health-oriented lifestyle and student satisfaction with virtual education according to educational groups. Accordingly, creating a resilient educational environment, trying to participate, and teaching towards meaningful and problem-based learning will prevent students from avoiding virtual education.