Social disconnectedness, satisfaction and wellbeing in virtual classroom: Role of perceived usefulness and achievement emotion

Previous studies have revealed a connection between social disconnectedness at the university level and mental health issues, however, there is little research on how social disconnectedness in an online learning environment relates to perceived satisfaction and psychological wellbeing. This study examines how social disconnectedness in the online learning environment may affect students' perceived satisfaction and psychological wellbeing in a process that might be explained by students' achievement emotions, moderated by their perceived usefulness of technology. A survey of 246 students at an Indian private institution was conducted. The relationships were assessed using structural equation modeling and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results show that social disconnectedness negatively relates to achievement emotion and achievement emotion in turn relates positively to students' perceived satisfaction and psychological wellbeing. Also perceived usefulness of technology negatively moderates social disconnectedness and achievement emotion relationship. From the practice point of view, our research can help faculty design activities to reduce the effect of these factors on important outcomes.