Perceptions of sport science students on the potential applications and limitations of blended learning in their education: a qualitative study

Abstract

This study sought to gain insight into blended learning-naive sports science students' understanding and perceptions of the potential benefits and limitations of blended (hybrid) learning, which has been defined as the thoughtful integration of face-to-face and online instructional approaches. Five focus groups, each comprising 3-4 students from either the undergraduate or postgraduate sports science programmes were conducted. The focus groups were facilitated by a researcher who was not involved in sports science. Audio recordings of the focus groups were transcribed verbatim. NVivo software was used to code the transcripts to identify the themes and subthemes. Students generally had little initial understanding of blended learning. When provided with a definition, they believed that blended learning could improve educational outcomes and assist those who were legitimately unable to attend a session. Their reservations about blended learning mainly related to some students not being sufficiently autonomous to undertake independent study, timetabling considerations and access to reliable Internet services. For blended learning to be effective, students felt the online material had to be interactive, engaging and complement the face-to-face sessions. Better understanding the perceptions of the students in the current study may assist educators who are considering implementing blended learning in their teaching.

A tale of two instructional experiences: student engagement in active learning and emergency remote learning of biomechanics

“…The strong learning in the current study with online emergency instruction was also consistent with research on the effectiveness of hybrid instruction (Veneri & Gannotti, 2014). Keogh et al (2017) reported new sports science students appreciated hybrid instruction, however, were concerned about additional responsibility, interactivity, and technological complications. Surveys of physics students indicate they prefer face-to-face instruction possibly due to perceived difficulty learning mathematics-based concepts remotely (Ramlo, 2016).…”

The effect of course format on student learning in introductory biomechanics courses that utilise low-tech active learning exercises

“…Therefore, the increased performance may be due to students spending more time interacting with course content. A recent study by Koegh et al (2017) suggested that some sport studies students had reservations about blended learning (e.g. HB) because it requires more autonomy and time management.…”

An integrated blended learning approach for physical education teacher education programmes: teacher educators’ and pre-service teachers’ experiences

“…Students perceived task value, the flexibility of online learning, the possibilities that derive from face-to-face interaction with teachers and peers for building personal learning networks as relevant to their course satisfaction (Diep et al 2017). Notably, students believe the online material has to be interactive, engaging and complement the face-to-face sessions (Keogh, Gowthorp, and McLean 2017). Students have also reported on the challenges of blended approaches.…”