Based on previous literature and more specifically based on the self-determination theory, this study hypothesized that the more related students feel with their peers and their teacher, the better IM in learning is supported (Hutchinson et al., 2017). It was hypothesized that students would be most motivated in the F2F setting and least motivated in the remote setting. This hypothesis is partly confirmed, as the lowest IM was found in the hybrid-remote setting. However, no significant difference was found between the pure F2F and virtual setting. If students were asked which educational setting they prefer, most students still prefer the F2F sessions, but we can conclude that both the teacher and the students were positive about the hybrid virtual classroom and approved the benefit that students are able to attend courses in a flexible way (Lakhal et al., 2017). Yet, our study shows that particularly the hybrid setting is challenging for the remote students as it combines the F2F and remote perspective. These findings confirm previous findings of Ramsey, Evans, and Levy (2016) that remote learners indeed feel a significant sense of distance between remote students and their teachers and face-to-face classmates. Future research should investigate how this connectivity can be approved by means of instructional interventions like collaborative breakout-sessions between F2F and remote students and interactive quizzes and polls.
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