Vocational education and training teachers' perceptions of supporting students' joy of studying in online courses

Finnish vocational education and training (VET) delivered via online learning has been little studied from the perspective of student well-being. In this study, we examined how VET teachers perceive their students' joy in online learning environments. The research was conducted as a themed interview with 20 VET teachers. The teachers answered questions regarding positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment concerning the students' joy of studying. The results showed that, according to the teachers' perceptions, good digital skills helped the students to manage the online platform, and collaborative online platform used for their studies. The students experienced the joy of studying when the tasks in the online implementation included variety, activity, and work-life orientation. According to the teachers, students experienced the joy of studying when they received individual control and when the teacher also managed the group activities. Work-life oriented guidance also contributed to the students' joy of studying.