Achievement emotions of university students in on-campus and online education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Feelings and emotions play a prominent role in the motivation and academic performance of students. Considering this importance, this study aimed to compare the achievement emotions of students in two educational environments, traditional face-to-face classes and online classes, grown after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this goal, 92 university students who had the experience of the two modes of education evaluated their emotions in these contexts. The findings indicated that university students had better class-related and learning -related feelings (enjoyment, hope, and pride) in traditional face-to-face education. These students also reported feeling angrier in online classes. Differences in other emotions, such as anxiety, hopelessness, boredom, and shame, were not significant. Test-related emotions of students were rather similar in these two educational contexts. Although traditional face-to-face education produced more positive emotions in students, 29.7% of the students preferred to continue their studies in online mode. Blended education can help students make optimum use of available resources. The findings can be of use to educational policymakers, curriculum planners, teachers, and students.