EFL Learners’ Perception about Integrating Blended Learning in ELT

Abstract

The study highlights English a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' perceptions about integrating Blended Learning (BL) to facilitate them completing their foundation year English courses at a Saudi university. The focus of the study was to investigate "the EFL learners' perception about integrating blended learning in their English Language Teaching (ELT) process". For this purpose, a survey was constructed in three subsections investigating the learners' viewpoints about BL as a platform: a) to improve learners' interaction, b) to increase their interests, and c) to provide autonomous learning. A mixed approach was adopted for the study to be conducted in one of the largest universities in Saudi Arabia. The participants (n=120) taken as sample were studying intensive English courses at four different levels as per the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) during their first year at university. The data was collected by using the designed survey consisting sixteen closed and an open-ended question to investigate the learners' perceptions in depth. The results indicate an overall positive attitude of the learners towards BL integration. ANOVA analysis of the variables shows insignificant effect of the 'level of computer proficiency' and the 'level of learners' language skills' on their perceptions. The results conclude that the learners' perceptions are found in favour of BL. Thus, it is recommended to integrate BL to increase the learners' interest, interaction, and autonomy.

Challenges and Benefits of Blended Learning on Tertiary Education ESL Classrooms: A Literature Review

“…Similar findings were made by Aljaraideh & Al Bataineh (2019), who stated that blended learning increased students' digital skills, and Hussein Alsowayegh et al ( 2019), who reported that students were inspired to check additional social media accounts. Other researchers (Bukhari & Mahmoud Basaffar, 2019) who discovered that pupils were driven to learn indepen-dently concurred with this finding.…”

English Language Teaching in KSA in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Positive Outcomes

“…For example, Alsowayegh et al (2019) at King Abdulaziz University found that using online activities (i.e., watching videos related to the lesson and participating in discussion forums) in addition to in-person instruction improved university EFL learners' listening and speaking skills. Other studies surveying university EFL students' perceptions of employing the blended learning model in their English acquisition show positive attitudes towards this method (Al-Jarf, 2007;Alowedi, 2020;Bukhari & Basaffar, 2019;Gulnaz et al, 2019).…”

“Till we meet again!”: The Synchronous Hybrid Teaching of English in Saudi Arabia

“…In the Saudi context, the effectiveness of implementing a blended learning method to deliver English courses and students' perceptions of using this method of teaching has been investigated by many researchers at most Saudi universities (e.g., Al-Nofaie 2020; Alsowayegh, Bardesi, Garba and Sipra 2019;Bin Dahmash 2020;Bukhari and Basaffar 2019;Gulnaz, Althomali and Alzeer 2020). In her case study, Al-Nofaie (2020) compared the synchronous and asynchronous aspects of Blackboard.…”

“…The analysis of their experimental research revealed positive effects of using this method on students' engagement, satisfaction, teacher's role, the content and examination when learning English. In the same vein, Bukhari and Basaffar (2019) used a mixed method approach to investigate learners' viewpoints about blended learning. They also found positive attitudes towards this approach as it increased the learner's interest, interaction and autonomy.…”