Instructor Clarity and Student Interest: The Mediating Role of Students’ Academic Satisfaction and State Motivation in Spanish Higher Education

Instructor clarity is a central component of instructional communication and has been consistently associated with positive academic outcomes; however, less evidence exists regarding the mechanisms through which it influences student interest in higher education contexts. The present study examined a structural model in which instructor clarity predicts student interest both directly and indirectly through students’ academic satisfaction and state motivation. A total of 258 undergraduate students from the University of Extremadura enrolled in the Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and the Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education participated in the study. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), including an assessment of the model’s predictive capability. The results indicated that instructor clarity was positively associated with academic satisfaction, state motivation, and student interest, with the first two variables acting as complementary mediators in these relationships. The model demonstrated high predictive power and strong predictive validity with respect to student interest. Overall, the findings suggest that instructor clarity constitutes a relevant mechanism in shaping student interest by structuring the academic experience and fostering positive motivational states, highlighting the importance of promoting clear teaching practices in university faculty training and evaluation processes to enhance students’ learning outcomes.