Academic Hope as a Predictor of Learning Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Academic Grit in Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments

Abstract

Technology-enhanced learning has transformed contemporary higher education, yet students’ satisfaction with digitally supported learning may depend not only on technological resources but also on psychological capacities that enable them to pursue academic goals and persist through challenges. This study explored how academic hope anticipates learning satisfaction when considering the role of academic grit in a technology-integrated learning context. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was used to study 457 postgraduate and undergraduate students from higher education institutions in Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan. The data was collected using an online, structured, and adapted version of the questionnaire, and collated in Microsoft Excel. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS with a reliability check conducted, as well as Pearson correlation, regression analysis, independent samples-t-test, and the mediation analysis. Based on the analyses conducted, all the relationships investigated were of an affirmative nature and academic hope and academic grit were significantly predictors of learning satisfaction. In addition to predicting learning satisfaction, stronger academic hope was correlated with greater goal directed persistence and more positive learning experiences in technology-integrated contexts. This study extends the understanding of technology-integrated learning by placing emphasis on psychological resources of learners as opposed to the technology and the instructions. The findings show that more satisfying and psychologically supportive technology integrated learning environments may be fostered with strengthening of academic hope and grit.