Chinese university students' acceptance of MOOCs: A self-determination perspective

At the start of a teaching revolution, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) represent the latest stage in distance education, and offer open educational resources to students around the globe. With their growing popularity, this study examines the factors that influence students' decisions to use MOOCs. To integrate the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the self-determination theory (SDT) as a research framework, 475 university students in China participated in a survey on the five constructs hypothesized to explain their intention to use MOOCs for learning. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that attitude toward MOOCs and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were significant determinants of intention to use them. Autonomous motivation was an antecedent for all three core constructs of the TPB, while controlled motivation acted as an antecedent only for subjective norms. Implications of the findings are discussed. •Attitude toward MOOCs significantly predicts the intention to use them.•Perceived behavioral control (significantly predicts the intention to use MOOCs.•Autonomous motivation was an antecedent for all three core constructs of TPB.•Controlled motivation acted as an antecedent only for subjective norms.