A Causal Model on Students’ Satisfaction in Relation to Teachers’ Professional Skills, Students’ Transactional Distance and Readiness for Online Learning

Abstract

Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), this study aimed to determine the best-fit model for students’ satisfaction influenced by teachers’ professional skills, students’ transactional distance, and readiness for online learning among private Senior High School (SHS) students. The study employed stratified random sampling to select 400 respondents from around SOCCSKSARGEN region, Philippines. Standardized test questionnaires were distributed to respondents to collect study data. Statistical tools were used for data analysis, including mean, standard deviation, Pearson product-moment correlation, linear regression, and SEM. Findings revealed that teachers’ professional skills were rated very high, students’ readiness for online learning was high, and students’ transactional distance was also high, indicating minimized transactional gaps and frequent interaction with other students, teachers, and the learning content. The overall level of students’ satisfaction was also high, showing positive online learning experiences. Additionally, results further showed that the three exogenous variables significantly influenced students’ satisfaction. Model 3 was identified as the best fit among the three generated models, with teachers’ professional skills identified as the strongest predictor of student satisfaction. The results also indicated that students’ satisfaction was best anchored in teachers’ professional skills, which were measured by learning environment, assessment, and organization of content; transactional distance was characterized by student-teacher transactional distance and student-content transactional distance; and readiness for online learning was characterized by communication and online student attributes. Finally, the study provides valuable insights aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4, or Quality Education, in formulating well-informed policies and programs to further improve online education delivery.