Evaluation of Students’ Engagement and Motivation to Participate in Virtual Events

Authors

  • Sheikh Ali Azzran Sh Said Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Farrah Norizzah Mohd Yussof Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Shaza Rina Sahamir Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Julitta Yunos Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Mohd Afzan @ Noorawavi Mohamed Faculty of Built Environment at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24191/bej.v22i1.1384

Keywords:

Student Engagement, Motivation, Virtual Events, MES

Abstract

The swift change of physical to online classes has significantly changed the educational landscape in the era of the new normal. The use of the Internet for online learning has soared significantly, and students are highly dependent on it by intensively and regularly attending classes. The development of online learning offers opportunities not only academic but also extracurricular activities such as virtual events to enhance students’ engagement and motivation in the online learning environment. By using electronic communication such as Google Meet and WhatsApp, students are able to interact and demonstrate their skills, knowledge and confidence in virtual events regardless of their geographical location. Consequently, students are able to feel motivated and engaged with other students and, thus, build up their morale to participate in virtual events. The purpose of this research is to explore the characteristics of students’ engagement and motivation across years of study and gender as factors affecting their participation in virtual student events. The Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES) was adapted, and quantitative analysis of descriptive statistics and an independent t-test were carried out. A simple random sampling of 122 undergraduate students from the construction management course completed the questionnaire. The findings show that overall, students are highly engaged and motivated to participate in virtual events. The research also revealed the underlying key factors of students’ engagement and motivation. The contribution of this research reveals that the transition to online learning, including virtual events facilitated by tools like Google Meet and WhatsApp, significantly enhances student engagement and motivation, providing key insights for improving online educational experiences.

Author Biographies

Sheikh Ali Azzran Sh Said, Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Sheikh Ali Azzran Sh Said, PhD is Senior Lecturer in the School of Construction and Quantity Surveying at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). His main research activity in the area of construction management education, Building Information Modelling (BIM) in facilities management, and interior architecture. He has published widely on these subjects in publications such as Journal of Building Performance, Online Journal for TVET Practitioners, International Journal on E-Learning and Higher Education. He can be reached through his email at sheikhali@uitm.edu.my

Farrah Norizzah Mohd Yussof, Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Farrah Norizzah Mohd Yussof, MSc is Senior Lecturer in the School of Construction and Quantity Surveying at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Her main research activity in the area of construction technology, building system and technology, digital in construction. She has published on these subjects in publications such as International Conference on Research Methodology for Built Environment and Engineering, International Conference on Built Environment and Engineering. She can be reached through her email at Farrah297@uitm.edu.my

Shaza Rina Sahamir, Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Shaza Rina Sahamir, PhD is Senior Lecturer in the School of Construction and Quantity Surveying at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Her main research activity in the area of green development, construction technology, ICT in construction, pperation management in construction. She has published widely on these subjects in publications such as Jurnal Teknologi, American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, International Journal on Computer Science and Engineering. She can be reached through her email at shaza_rina@uitm.edu.my

Julitta Yunos, Construction Management, School of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Julitta Yunos, PhD is Senior Lecturer in the School of Construction and Quantity Surveying at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Her main research activity in the area of environment performance of building and green innovation. She has published widely on these subjects in publications such Advance Science Letters, Journal of Building Performance, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Buildings. She can be reached through her email at julitta@uitm.edu.my

Mohd Afzan @ Noorawavi Mohamed, Faculty of Built Environment at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

Mohd Afzan @ Noorawavi Mohamed, PhD is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Built Environment at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). His main research activity in the area of urban design and development, transport planning and construction mangement. He has published several on these subjects in publications such Sustainability, Urban Policy and Research. He can be reached through his email at mmafzan@unimas.my

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Published

01-01-2025

How to Cite

Sh Said, S. A. A., Mohd Yussof, F. N. ., Sahamir, S. R. ., Yunos, J. ., & Mohd Afzan @ Noorawavi Mohamed. (2025). Evaluation of Students’ Engagement and Motivation to Participate in Virtual Events. Built Environment Journal, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.24191/bej.v22i1.1384