---
title: "Factors Linked to Behavioral Engagement and Learning Satisfaction in YouTube-Based Informal Englis"
id: "plos-one-0-factors-associated-with-behavioral-engagement-and-learning-satisfaction-in"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-0-factors-associated-with-behavioral-engagement-and-learning-satisfaction-in"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "General"
source_name: "PLOS ONE (Medicine)"
source_url: "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471"
published_at: "2026-08-28T14:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Factors Linked to Behavioral Engagement and Learning Satisfaction in YouTube-Based Informal Englis
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-0-factors-associated-with-behavioral-engagement-and-learning-satisfaction-in
- **Specialty:** [General](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- **Primary Source:** PLOS ONE (Medicine)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471)
- **Published At:** 2026-08-28T14:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- This study investigated how four constructs—**perceived usefulness**, **perceived enjoyment**, **YouTube learning self-efficacy**, and **content quality**—relate to **behavioral engagement** and **learning satisfaction** in YouTube-based informal English learning (YIEL) among Taiwanese undergraduates. - Data came from a cross-sectional survey of 393 undergraduate students in Taiwan; analysis used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). - All hypothesized direct associations were supported: each of the four focal constructs was positively associated with both behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction. - The model accounted for 47.6% of the variance in **behavioral engagement** and 64.7% of the variance in **learning satisfaction**. - **Behavioral engagement** also showed a direct positive association with learning satisfaction and served as a statistical mediator linking the four constructs to learning satisfaction. - The study frames perceived usefulness as an extrinsic, goal-oriented motivator and perceived enjoyment as an intrinsic motivator; both are relevant in technology-enhanced and informal learning contexts. - The authors highlight the learner-directed and content-diverse nature of YIEL, noting that platform recommendation algorithms and variable content quality make learners responsible for judging videos’ usefulness and credibility. - The findings extend prior work by examining motivational factors, self-efficacy for YouTube learning, and content quality together and by treating behavioral engagement both as an outcome and as a mediator. - Data and questionnaire items are publicly available on the Open Science Framework; the authors reported no specific funding and declared no competing interests.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
[ Skip to main content ](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#main-content) Advertisement * [plos.org](https://plos.org/) * [Create account](https://community.plos.org/registration/new) * [Sign in](https://journals.plos.org/user/secure/login?page=%2Fplosone%2Farticle%3Fid%3D10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0357471) * * About * Browse * Publish * [](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ "PLOS One") * Search [advanced search](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/search) * [Browse Topics](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/subjectAreaBrowse) Browse Subject Areas ? Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click [here](https://github.com/PLOS/plos-thesaurus/blob/master/README.md "Link opens in new window"). [](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) [](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) * 0 [Save](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#savedHeader) [Total Mendeley and Citeulike bookmarks.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#savedHeader) * 0 [Citation](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#citedHeader) [Paper's citation count computed by Dimensions.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#citedHeader) * 23 [View](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#viewedHeader) [PLOS views and downloads.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#viewedHeader) * 0 [Share](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#discussedHeader) [Sum of Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Wikipedia activity.](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#discussedHeader) Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article # Factors associated with behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction in YouTube-based informal English learning among Taiwanese undergraduate students * Jung-Wen Hsia, Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing Affiliation Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Resource Development, National Chi Nan University, Nantou County, Taiwan ⨯ * Aihua Tseng Roles Data curation, Project administration, Writing – review & editing * E-mail: tseng335@gmail.com Affiliation Center for Continuing Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan [ ![ORCID logo](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/orcid_16x16.png) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8602-772X ](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8602-772X "ORCID Registry") ⨯ # Factors associated with behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction in YouTube-based informal English learning among Taiwanese undergraduate students * Jung-Wen Hsia, * Aihua Tseng ![PLOS](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/logo-plos-full-color.svg) x * Published: August 28, 2026 * * [Article](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) * [Authors](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) * [Metrics](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/metrics?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) * [Comments](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) * [Media Coverage](http://plos.altmetric.com/details/doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) * [Abstract](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#abstract0) * [Introduction](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#sec001) * [Methods](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#sec011) * [Results](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#sec015) * [Discussion](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#sec020) * [Conclusion](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#sec025) * [Supporting information](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#sec026) * [References](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#references) * [Reader Comments](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) * [Figures](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471) ![Accessible Data Icon](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/accessible_data.svg)Accessible Data [ See the data ![Link Icon](https://journals.plos.org/resource/img/data_link_icon.svg) ](https://osf.io/p5hxa) This article includes the Accessible Data icon, an experimental feature to encourage data sharing and reuse. [Find out how research articles qualify for this feature.](https://theplosblog.plos.org/2023/07/accessible-data/) ## Abstract As learners increasingly use open online resources for informal language learning, YouTube has become an important setting for self-directed English learning. However, less is known about how learners’ motivation, confidence in using YouTube for learning, and perceptions of content quality are associated with behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction in this context. This study examined the associations of perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, YouTube learning self-efficacy, and content quality with behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction in YouTube-based informal English learning (YIEL). It also examined whether behavioral engagement statistically mediated the associations of these four constructs with learning satisfaction. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 393 undergraduate students in Taiwan and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). All hypothesized associations were supported, and the model explained 47.6% of the variance in behavioral engagement and 64.7% of the variance in learning satisfaction. Behavioral engagement also statistically mediated the associations between these four constructs and learning satisfaction. The findings indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, YouTube learning self-efficacy, and content quality were associated with both behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction, and that behavioral engagement was also associated with learning satisfaction. Together, these findings extend current understanding of YIEL by highlighting behavioral engagement both as an outcome associated with these four focal constructs and as a statistical mediator of their associations with learning satisfaction. ## Figures ![Fig 2](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.g002) ![Table 9](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t009) ![Table 10](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t010) ![Fig 1](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.g001) ![Table 1](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t001) ![Table 2](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t002) ![Table 3](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t003) ![Table 4](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t004) ![Table 5](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t005) ![Table 6](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t006) ![Table 7](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t007) ![Table 8](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t008) ![Fig 2](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.g002) ![Table 9](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t009) ![Table 10](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t010) ![Fig 1](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.g001) ![Table 1](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t001) ![Table 2](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471.t002) **Citation:** Hsia J-W, Tseng A (2026) Factors associated with behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction in YouTube-based informal English learning among Taiwanese undergraduate students. PLoS One 21(8): e0357471. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357471 **Editor:** Muhammad Zammad Aslam, Universiti Sains Malaysia, MALAYSIA **Received:** February 14, 2026; **Accepted:** August 17, 2026; **Published:** August 28, 2026 **Copyright:** © 2026 Hsia, Tseng. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the [Creative Commons Attribution License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. **Data Availability:** The anonymized dataset underlying the results presented in this study is publicly available from the Open Science Framework (OSF): . The questionnaire items are provided in the [Supporting Information](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#sec026). **Funding:** The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. **Competing interests:** The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. ## Introduction Online, distance, and social-media-supported learning have received sustained attention in educational research [[1](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref001)], and their role has become more prominent in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated this trend as institutions expanded digital learning environments [[2](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref002)]. Beyond formal settings, learners have increasingly used open online resources to support informal learning [[3](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref003),[4](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref004)]. YouTube is particularly relevant because it is widely used for self-directed and informal learning [[5](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref005),[6](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref006)]. Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has gradually become an important platform for video-based and informal language learning [[3](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref003),[7](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref007),[8](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref008)]. Unlike course-based platforms, learning materials on YouTube are not usually organized into a predetermined curriculum or formal instructional sequence**.** Learners therefore encounter and select learning materials in a more open and less institutionally guided environment. Its multimodal format supports flexible and self-paced learning. However, because YouTube is open and largely user-generated, learning materials may vary in relevance, reliability, and the extent to which they support learning [[3](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref003),[9](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref009)]. Learners therefore carry much of the responsibility for judging whether a video is useful, credible, and suitable for their own English learning needs. Although YouTube has received increasing attention as a learning tool, prior research has often focused on classroom-based or teacher-guided contexts [[8](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref008),[10](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref010)]. These studies provide useful evidence on YouTube-supported learning. However, they may not fully explain how learners evaluate, select, and sustain engagement with English learning videos in an open environment. This environment is shaped by algorithmic recommendations and uneven content quality. In YIEL, learners tend to make these decisions more independently, while their exposure to learning materials may also be shaped by search functions, subscriptions, social sharing, and algorithmic recommendations. The joint associations of motivational factors, YouTube learning self-efficacy, and content quality with behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction therefore require further clarification. This study extends prior work in two ways. First, it examines motivational factors, YouTube learning self-efficacy, and content quality within the same framework. Second, it gives greater attention to behavioral engagement by examining it both as an outcome and as a statistical mediator of the associations between the four focal constructs and learning satisfaction. Accordingly, this study addresses the following two research questions: RQ1. How are perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, YouTube learning self-efficacy, and content quality associated with behavioral engagement in YIEL contexts? RQ2. In YIEL contexts, how are perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, YouTube learning self-efficacy, and content quality directly associated with learning satisfaction, and what specific indirect associations involving behavioral engagement are observed? ### Literature review and hypotheses development #### YouTube-based informal English learning. Prior research on YIEL-related topics can be grouped into three main areas. One early line of work examined linguistic aspects of informal language learning, showing that YouTube can serve as a source of English exposure and language use beyond formal instruction [[11](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref011)]. A second line of research has examined learners’ motivational, affective, and self-regulatory processes, highlighting the role of learner agency in YouTube-based English learning [[5](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref005),[6](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref006)]. A third line of research has examined learners’ experiences with YouTube as a learning environment, with particular attention to psychological perceptions, platform-related evaluations, content quality, engagement, and learning outcomes [[3](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref003),[4](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref004),[12](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref012)]. Taken together, these studies suggest that YIEL involves not only language exposure, but also learners’ motivation, agency, platform-related perceptions, and evaluations of content quality. However, these factors have often been examined separately. Given the learner-directed and content-diverse nature of YIEL, it is important to consider motivational factors, YouTube learning self-efficacy, and content quality together when examining behavioral engagement and learning satisfaction. The following sections review these three main dimensions in turn: learner motivation, learner self-efficacy, and content quality. #### Learner motivation. In this study, perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment are treated as two complementary aspects of learner motivation. Perceived usefulness can be understood as a more extrinsic, goal-oriented aspect of motivation, whereas perceived enjoyment reflects intrinsic motivation derived from the learning activity itself [[13](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref013),[14](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref014)]. Prior studies have shown that learner motivation is closely related to engagement-related outcomes in technology-enhanced learning contexts [[15](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref015),[16](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref016)]. Drawing on technology acceptance and intrinsic motivation perspectives, perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment are discussed below as two motivational factors in YIEL. #### Technology acceptance model and perceived usefulness. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model [[17](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref017)], perceived usefulness is used in this study to describe learners’ beliefs about whether YouTube can support their English learning goals. Although the Technology Acceptance Model also includes perceived ease of use, this construct may be less central in the present context. In prior research on YouTube-based procedural learning, perceived ease of use was not significantly associated with perceived usefulness or behavioral intention, whereas perceived usefulness showed a significant association with behavioral intention [[18](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref018)]. For this reason, the present study focuses on perceived usefulness as a key motivational factor. Studies of technology-enhanced learning have generally shown that learners who perceive a platform as useful tend to report more favorable engagement-related and satisfaction-related outcomes [[19](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref019),[20](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref020)]. Similar patterns have also been found in language learning contexts [[21](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref021),[22](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref022)]. However, YIEL differs from many of these settings because learners engage with open and user-generated materials with limited formal support. Their exposure to available resources may also be shaped by platform mechanisms such as search results and algorithmic recommendations [[3](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref003),[9](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357471#pone.0357471.ref009)]**.** In this context, perceived usefulness may be especially important because learners need to judge whether the videos they encounter are worth continued attention and effort. In this context, perceived usefulness reflects learners’ broader belief that YIEL can support their English learning g
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