Mechanism Analysis of the Decline in Students' Classroom Engagement Under the Context of Instant Gratification Culture (Short-Video Proliferation): A Reflection on Traditional Classroom Teaching Models

Against the backdrop of the increasing prevalence of instant gratification culture, represented by short-video platforms, the continuous decline in students’ classroom engagement has emerged as a severe and shared challenge in global education. The present study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the complex psychological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and to critically reflect on the adaptability of traditional classroom teaching models. To this end, we construct and empirically test an integrated model incorporating chain mediation and multiple moderation, systematically examining how instant gratification culture—operationalized through indicators such as short-video use intensity and attention fragmentation—affects students’ classroom engagement. The core assumption of the model is that instant gratification tendency does not directly lead to a decline in classroom engagement; rather, its influence operates through a sequential chain mediation pathway: (1) weakening students’ attention control capacity, (2) subsequently reducing their cognitive stamina, and (3) ultimately inducing learning expectation bias (e.g., a preference for entertainment-oriented learning and a demand for immediate feedback), thereby resulting in diminished classroom engagement. In addition, the study introduces three key moderating variables to explore the boundary conditions of this mechanism. Specifically, we hypothesize that classroom teaching characteristics (e.g., interaction frequency and instructional pace), individual self-regulation capacity, and peer influence play moderating roles at different stages of the chain mediation process, either amplifying or attenuating the negative effects. A quantitative research design is employed, using questionnaire data collected from a large sample of university students. Data are analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and chain mediation analysis techniques. The expected findings will reveal the complete pathway through which instant gratification culture influences classroom engagement and clarify how different instructional contexts and individual characteristics moderate this process. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in the construction of a complex, multi-level, and multi-path model, which substantially deepens the understanding of the internal mechanisms underlying changes in students’ learning behaviors in the digital age. At the practical level, the findings move beyond traditional approaches that merely attempt to “block” short videos, offering educators systematic intervention strategies and pedagogical reform recommendations from multiple dimensions—such as reshaping instructional models, cultivating students’ cognitive capacities, and fostering positive peer cultures—to address the challenges that instant gratification culture poses to deep learning.