An examination of the psychological mechanisms underlying the social existence and cognitive investment of college students in an online learning environment

Addressing the common challenges in online education, where the body is present but the mind is disengaged and deep learning is limited, it is crucial to examine how social interactions in virtual environments translate into intrinsic cognitive motivation. This study aimed to explore the mechanism linking social presence (SP) and cognitive engagement (CE) in online learning environments, with perceived interactivity (PI) introduced as a key variable for empirical testing. A total of 500 university students with online learning experience were recruited. Data were collected using the Community of Inquiry scale, the Online Learning Engagement scale, and the PI scale. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted using SPSS software. Results indicated that SP positively and robustly predicted CE ( β = 0.582, p < 0.001). This finding suggests that, in physically separated learning contexts, learners’ perceptions of interpersonal authenticity and group belonging effectively predict their participation in higher-order cognitive activities. PI was highly correlated with SP but did not show a significant moderating effect between SP and CE. The study confirmed that high-quality interactive experiences and SP were essential conditions for fostering deep learning online. Enhancing multidimensional interaction design to strengthen learners’ SP is a viable strategy to promote deep cognitive processing and improve the quality of online instruction.