Exploring Effects of Online and Face-to-Face Teaching Formats on Students' Interest and Engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for flexible teaching formats, particularly online education, as an alternative to traditional face-to-face (F2F) education. This study investigates the impact of teaching format (online vs. F2F) on secondary school students' interest and engagement. We conducted an exploratory analysis of survey data from 16 workshops (F2F: 12, online: 4) held between January and December 2022, with 129 participants completing the survey (F2F: 76, online: 53, age: 10-16). All workshops covered the same learning topics, provided by online courses developed to raise interest in computer science (CS). Our findings show that the teaching format had a negligible effect on interest development. Still, students in the F2F setting showed higher engagement levels than those in the online setting. Additionally, an analysis of the effect of age indicates that younger students are more engaged in online settings than their older peers. We also found indications for longer-running programs having a greater effect on personal interest development compared to one-day programs. This paper discusses the results and identifies implications for teaching practice and future research. ... mehrOverall, the study highlights the need to balance the advantages and limitations of both teaching formats and suggests potential strategies to improve online engagement.