Alexis González-Donoso; Sergio Jara-Rosales; Bárbara Valencia-Contreras & Carlos Godoy-Guzmán

The teaching of Histology involves the microscopic study of the human body and represents a fundamental discipline in the medical and health sciences curriculum. This study examines the impact of motivation, study habits, and student interaction on academic performance in an online medical histology course. Using a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach, the research is based on a previously validated instrument, the Student Engagement in an Online Histology Course (SEOHC), and analyzes data from 154 students of medicine, nursing, and midwifery from a public university in Chile. The course was delivered in a hybrid format that combined synchronous classes, asynchronous content, and virtual microscopy practice activities. The results indicate that motivation significantly predicts academic performance, whereas study habits and interaction show limited direct effects. The SEM model demonstrates acceptable reliability and validity. These findings highlight the central role of motivation in online learning and suggest that future course designs of similar characteristics should incorporate strategies to enhance engagement and interaction. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on e-learning pedagogy in medical education and offers practical insights to optimize virtual histology teaching.

KEY WORDS: Motivation; E-learning; Medical education; Virtual microscopy.

GONZÁLEZ-DONOSO, A.; JARA-ROSALES, S.; VALENCIA-CONTRERAS, B. & GODOY-GUZMÁN, C. Motivation as a key predictor of academic performance in medical histology teaching in an E-learning format. Int. J. Morphol., 44(1):283-290, 2026.