From Care to Cognition: Learning Engagement as a Mediating Mechanism in the Effect of Love-Based Pedagogy on Educational Media Conceptual Understanding

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of Love-Based Pedagogy in improving students’ conceptual understanding in an Educational Media course and investigated the mediating role of learning engagement. A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental pretest  posttest control group design was employed. The participants were 61 students enrolled in an Educational Technology Study Program at a university in Eastern Indonesia. Data were collected through a conceptual understanding test, a learning engagement questionnaire, and an instructional implementation observation sheet. Treatment effectiveness was analyzed using ANCOVA, while the direct and indirect effects were tested through partial least squares structural equation modeling using SmartPLS. The results demonstrated that Love-Based Pedagogy significantly improved students’ conceptual understanding after controlling for prior knowledge. It also positively affected learning engagement, which partially mediated the relationship between Love-Based Pedagogy and conceptual understanding. These findings underscore the importance of integrating care, supportive communication, and academic rigor into higher education instruction.