The effect of fragmented learning ability on college students’ online learning satisfaction: exploring the mediating role of affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement

As an emerging learning mode, fragmented learning is popular among college students for its flexibility and convenience. In this self-learning process, learning ability has an important impact on online learning outcomes. Based on the tracking survey data of 763 undergraduate students in Northeast China, this study developed a structural equation model to systematically examine how the fragmented learning capability (including four critical dimensions of learning attitude, learning resource, learning interaction, and learning management) enhance students' online learning satisfaction through their emotional, behavioral, and cognition engagement. The results of the study show that fragmented learning ability significantly and directly enhances college students' online learning satisfaction. The mediating effect shows that learning attitude and resource enhance learning satisfaction by enhancing college students' emotional and behavioral engagement; learning interaction and management enhance learning satisfaction by promoting college students' overall engagement in the three dimensions of emotion, behavior, and cognition. Furthermore, we emphasize that learning management plays the most influential role in online learning satisfaction, highlighting its importance in fragmented learning capabilities. This study offers an empirical basis for optimizing the online learning experience in education and underscores the crucial role of integrated learning strategies in enhancing learning efficiency and experience.