The results of the present study showed that there is a direct relationship between individual self-efficacy and satisfaction with online education. Considering the relationship between different learning styles and the level of satisfaction with online education, it has been shown that the active learning style in the information-processing dimension showed a significant inverse relationship with the level of satisfaction with online education. However, the global learning style in understanding information dimension has a significant positive relationship with the level of satisfaction with online education. The results of the reliability test of this study were calculated based on Cronbach's alpha index and the result for the Persian version of the self-efficacy questionnaire was 0.836 and for the Persian version of the level of satisfaction with online education was 0.96. Hence, the questionnaires employed in this study had high reliability. Various factors influence the level of students 'satisfaction, including the teacher's popularity and students' satisfaction with the teacher's performance, particularly the availability and response rate [25].
In this study, in order to minimize individual differences and errors in practice, the evaluations were tried to be assessed based on the material presented by one lecturer (Orthodontics). In addition, this lecturer has been selected as the top professor (mentor of choice) by students for the past two years and had enough information and complete mastery to online education. In psychology and psychiatry, self-efficacy is defined as a person's beliefs about the ability to cope with different situations, and its purpose is to assess the individual's abilities in order to successfully perform a set of measures necessary to achieve the goal. A few studies have been conducted on the correlation between general self-efficacy and students' satisfaction with online education [26–29].
Many questions have remained unreciprocated, including the relationship between the level of general self-efficacy and the level of satisfaction with the course of study. Bandura points out that the individual self-efficacy is a key factor in the result of any behaviour that the individual decides to engage, therefore, it is necessary to establish a relationship between self-efficacy and performance [16]. In the current study, a significant relationship was observed between the level of general self-efficacy and the level of satisfaction with online education. However, the level of satisfaction with online education was not significantly related to any of the questions of self-efficacy questionnaire alone.
Previous studies have shown that there was a direct relationship between individual self-efficacy and satisfaction with online education [26–29]. The literature review performed by Alqurashi on self-efficacy in online environments has reported mixed results, some of which have observed a positive relationship between self-efficacy and student satisfaction, and some of which have not yielded a relationship between the two variables; Alqurashi attributed these differences in the results to a lack of research studies performed in this field, which make the results not be conclusive [30].
It seems that in addition to the differences in the design of these two studies, another reason for this difference is the scrutiny of the self-efficacy variable in the two studies. In the present study, the self-efficacy has been studied as a general variable, while in some studies this variable has been investigated in three categories: self-efficacy of computer skills, self-efficacy of searching information and the Internet, and self-efficacy of skills with learning management system. Except in the category of self-efficacy of information search skills and the Internet, the other two categories can be used as predictors of student satisfaction with online education [30].
Students have their own unique learning style; however, it may be different in different situations. Learners who prefer different learning styles have different motivations for learning and they also differ in confidence and reading speed. According to Vaishnav and Chirayu, learning style is a set of factors, attitudes and behaviors that facilitate students' learning in a particular situation; this is the ability of learners to understand and process information [31].
Learning styles affect how students learn and are also influenced by personal experiences, culture, maturity and development. Each learner has distinct and consistent preferred methods of organizing, perceiving, and learning [32]. It has been shown that among dental students, 63% preferred sensing learning and 42% preferred visual learning style. Most students were well-balanced between active-reflective (60%) and global-sequential (68%) learning dimensions [33]. Similar studies have shown that a large proportion of orthodontic residents prefer sensing, active, and visual learning styles. In addition, they were well balanced in the dimensions of active-reflective and global-sequential learning dimensions [34]. In the present study, dental students were well-balanced in active-reflective learning dimensions.
The results of the present study showed that active learning style in the processing dimension and global learning style in the understanding dimension affect students' satisfaction with the online course. Cox and Tsai reported that students 'learning preferences in the sensing-intuitive dimension are strong predictors of students' learning satisfaction from face-to-face courses [35].
On the other hand, Wang showed that learning styles do not affect participants' satisfaction with the teaching approach [32]. The results of many studies show a weak relationship between learning styles and learning outcomes [36–38].
In addition to study design, one reason for the difference in these results could be due to the use of various learning style assessment tools in the studies mentioned; obviously, different tools lead to different results. Cheng and Chau (2014) observed the use of the following tools in various studies: the Kolb’s model (1984), the Felder- Silverman (1988) learning style model, the Herrmann brain dominance instrument (1989), the Myers-Briggs (1993) personality type indicator, and Dunn and Dunn model (2003).
However, the authors indicate that the Felder -Silverman model is more appropriate tool than other tools for two reasons. The first reason is that each aspect of the tool is two-dimensional and the second reason is that it is more flexible considering the students' learning needs in online and blended environments [39].