Uncertainty Avoidance, Perceptions of Emergency Remote Education, and University Commitment: A Cross-Country Analysis

Worldwide, there were significant changes in university courses due to COVID-19. One was a rapid transition to online courses, described as emergency remote education. The purpose of this research was to examine how students' uncertainty avoidance (UA) affected their university commitment (UC) and whether their perceptions of emergency remote education (PERE) mediated this relationship. The b path of the mediation analysis (from PERE to commitment) was expected to be moderated by two variables: income and perceived quality of instruction. Students from universities in three countries (i.e., the United States (US), Pakistan, and South Africa (SA)) were assessed. The findings revealed that there were direct and indirect effects for this relationship for students from Pakistan, with a partial moderated mediation effect of perceived quality of instruction for students from Pakistan. Positive main effects of UA on UC were found for students from the United States, Pakistan, and South Africa. Potential explanations and implications for these results were explored.