Blended Learning in a Reading Course: Undergraduate EFL Students’ Perceptions and Experiences

Abstract

Research on blended learning in reading course especially is limited. This study aimed at revealing the implementation of blended learning in reading course for undergraduate EFL students at one public university in South Sumatera and the students’ perceptions on the e-learning incorporated in the blended learning in the reading course. The study was carried out through a qualitative method using a case study approach. The first semester students, consisting of 13 female and 5 male students, majoring in English Education Study Program at a public university in South Sumatera participated in this study. The researchers used observations, documents, and semi-structured interviews to collect the data. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively. The findings covered two major issues in accordance with the research questions: the implementation of the blended learning and students’ perceptions of the e-learning. The findings showed that in the reading course, 4 meetings were conducted with e-learning and 12 others were employed in the classroom with various activities. In terms of students’ perceptions, the students reported some advantages and challenges that they encountered in e-learning. This study also provided some implications and recommendations for further research.

The Effects of Blended Learning on Chinese Undergraduate EFL Students' Reading Achievement And Engagement

“…The ubiquity of digital technology in education had catalyzed related studies on how to facilitate EFL reading comprehension. Pitaloka et al (2020) carried out a case study regarding the impact of blended learning on reading course for EFL undergraduates in South Sumatera, and found that blended learning benefited undergraduates in EFL reading class with flexible learning, understandable materials, and variations in learning approaches. It provided some advice for designing blended reading course such as time management for reading exercises, and convenient accessible platform.…”

Blended Learning in the Context of EFL: Curriculum Design and Implementation

“…To keep up with the current dynamic world, the educational field is continually changing (Pitaloka et al, 2020), and one recent trend is blended learning. Blended learning is a logical and natural evolution of the learning environment (Ghazizadeh & Fatemipour, 2017;Thorne, 2003).…”

“…Blended learning combines both in-class and online instruction to attain the strengths of both instruction modes (Albiladi & Alshareef, 2019;Bataineh & Mayyas, 2017;Pitaloka et al, 2020). In blended learning, online instruction does not displace traditional classroom teaching but rather adds a further dimension to the learning experience (Sheerah, 2020).…”

“…This learning approach is based on various combinations of face-to-face lectures, learning over the Internet, and learning supported by technology and media (Hoic-Bozic et al, 2008). Thus, blended learning offers various teaching and learning methods (lectures, discussions, and guided practice sessions), content delivery modes (classical face-to-face and computer-mediated learning environments), active learning approaches (group and individual learning activities), and instructional modalities (synchronous and asynchronous interactions) to enhance the teaching and learning process (Bataineh & Mayyas, 2017;Hoic-Bozic et al, 2008;Pitaloka et al, 2020).…”

“…In relation to language teaching and learning, the incorporation of blended learning into English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching has attracted considerable attention (Pitaloka et al, 2020), including at the university level (Ghazizadeh & Fatemipour, 2017). EFL learning is a complex process that requires considerable effort to successfully immerse learners in the language (Al Bataineh et al, 2019).…”