The effect of enjoyment on the achievement of learning goals in college students’ online classes: a moderated mediation model

In the digital education era, artificial intelligence has developed rapidly in education in China, and hybrid teaching models have become popular. This study aims to explore whether college students’ enjoyment in online classes influences their learning interest and achievement of learning goals, and to examine the moderating role of teacher-student interaction in the realization of learning goals. We conducted an online questionnaire survey of 1736 college students in China to explore the relationships among enjoyment, learning interest, teacher-student interaction, and the achievement of learning goals of online classes. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 and Mplus 8.0. These findings show that college students’ enjoyment influences the achievement of learning goals through the mediating role of learning interest in online classes. The high level of teacher–student interaction is conducive to the transformation of students’ enjoyment into learning interest and the achievement of learning goals. Our study is expected to serve as an important reference for increasing students’ learning interest and achieving their learning goals in online classes.