Understanding the Antecedents of Emotional Well-Being among University Students: Do Personality Traits Make a Difference?

Abstract

Emotional well-being has been shown to be influenced by personality traits. However, little research has been done into how personality traits affect the relationship between actual use and emotional well-being. Since lecturers may develop a variety of pedagogical methods to ensure the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to understand how the different personality traits of students may improve or weaken the relationship between actual use and emotional well-being. Hence, this study aims to examine the predicting factors that contribute to online learning acceptance among undergraduates, and to investigate the moderating effect of personality traits in the relationship between actual use of online learning and emotional well-being. In order to explore factors that affect students' emotional well-being, this study used and extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by incorporating emotional well-being as a new variable. An online survey was conducted among 247 respondents at Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang who are currently undergoing online learning. SEM-AMOS was employed to test the developed hypotheses. Except for the relationship between perceived usefulness and attitude towards using online learning, all hypothesis showed significant results. In addition, personality traits moderate the relationship between actual use and emotional well-being. This study can help university administrators and educators identify effective online learning resources that will make it easier for undergraduates to use the platforms, reduce stress, and enhance their emotional well-being.