When Autonomy Hurts and Relatedness Heals: Understanding the Dual Impact of Digital Versus Traditional Learning on Postgraduate Outcomes

Neethu Ismail and Lishin Moothery Joshy

Management and Labour Studies, 2026, vol. 51, issue 3, 448-473

Abstract: This study examines the comparative effects of digital technology (DT)-assisted learning versus traditional classroom instruction on postgraduate management students’ comprehension, retention and psychological need satisfaction, grounded in self-determination theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Using a quasi-experimental design, 124 students were assigned to either a DT-based condition—completing an HR analytics course on the Alison platform—or an instructor-led traditional condition covering identical content. The same faculty member supervised both groups to control for instructor effects. Independent t -tests revealed significantly higher post-test comprehension ( d = 1.50) and retention ( d = 1.13) in the traditional group, despite DT-based learners spending more time-on-task (5 vs 4 hours). The DT group reported significantly higher autonomy, while the traditional group reported significantly higher relatedness; no between-group competence difference was observed. Simple regression analyses identified relatedness as the strongest positive predictor of comprehension ( β = 0.62, p

Keywords: Digital technology-assisted learning; self-determination theory; comprehension; retention; cognitive load; scaffolding; postgraduate management education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0258042X261466855 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:manlab:v:51:y:2026:i:3:p:448-473

DOI: 10.1177/0258042X261466855

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Management and Labour Studies from XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().