Abstract
BACKGROUND: The rapid expansion of digital teaching resources under initiatives such as Smart Education and Internet + Education has provided higher vocational education with unprecedented access to diverse platforms and instructional tools. However, increased accessibility has not produced proportional gains in learning motivation, creating a paradox of "more resources, weaker motivation." Understanding the motivational mechanisms behind this imbalance has become a pressing challenge. OBJECTIVE: This study explores how emotionally empowering value embedded in digital teaching resources affects students' learning motivation and identifies the emotional dimensions and pathways through which empowerment exerts its effects. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was administered to 1,303 medical students in five-year higher vocational programs. The survey comprised demographics and usage patterns, a 26-item Emotionally Empowering Value Scale (six dimensions), and a 13-item Learning Motivation Scale grounded in the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction model (ARCS). Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and Python via descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression. RESULTS: Students exhibited relatively high learning motivation, with significant variations by gender, grade, and resource-use frequency. All six emotionally empowering value dimensions were positively associated with the three motivation subdimensions (all p < 0.001), with strong relationships overall. Classroom empowerment showed the strongest correlation with Learning Interest (r = 0.95), while platform empowerment also demonstrated strong associations with Learning Interest (r = 0.92) and Persistence and Confidence (r = 0.90). In the dual-pathway regression models, both platform empowerment and self-empowerment were significantly associated with motivational outcomes (platform β = 0.632-0.676; self β = 0.269-0.315; all p < 0.001), highlighting consistent patterns across outcomes within this sample. CONCLUSION: Embedding emotional value within digital teaching resources is essential for sustaining students' motivation. Platform empowerment enhances persistence and confidence through external feedback, while self-empowerment fosters intrinsic engagement and self-directed learning. These findings extend Self-Determination Theory and the ARCS model into digital learning contexts and offer practical guidance for designing emotionally supportive learning environments in higher vocational education.