Abstract:

In today’s diverse classrooms, teachers are constantly challenged to differentiate instruction to meet the learning needs of all students, especially those who require accelerated growth in the core content areas of math and reading. Educators can leverage recent advances in technology to differentiate instruction for students at varying achievement levels and blended learning is one way in which a teacher can incorporate technology to customize student learning. Blended learning definition has been evolving as technology continues to advance in the potential it offers for teaching and learning.

Blended learning is defined as “any formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace” (Horn & Staker, 2014, p.34). Typically, a blended learning classroom involves a portion of the class led by the teacher and part of the class time where students are instructed in content via online digital curricula. Blended learning is at times referred to as personalized learning, depending on the degree of adaptation and personalization of content, delivery, and demonstration of learning, based on individual student needs and preferences. In either case, it refers to ways in which instruction can be tailored by utilizing technology to meet the individual needs of students (Flores, 2018).

The majority of blended learning studies are based on research in post-secondary settings, in online universities, and adult technical education programs (Brodersen & Melluzzo, 2017; Pulham & Mohammed, 2018). Some are conducted as case studies based on grant funding from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or not-for-profit foundations and are disseminated as briefs and reports. Most of these studies have shed light on the promise of blended learning; however, there is a dearth of rigorous comparative research in the field.

The proposed presentation will focus on two studies conducted on the impact of blended learning in K-12 education. The studies present two methods for conducting the study and for data analysis. The first was a quantitative comparative study conducted to investigate the effects of blended learning, on math achievement of 413 6th grade students. Scores were analyzed using a t-test to compare means between math achievement scores for students in the blended learning class and those in the traditional face-to-face environment. The second study that will be presented used a mixed-methods approach to investigate whether blended learning increased student achievement in ELA and math. Quantitative analysis involved a difference-in-difference (DID) regression analysis for data gathered from seven schools and 44 classrooms. Qualitative data was gathered through classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student focus groups.

The presentation will describe the study methods, discuss the pros and challenges of each method used and will elaborate on the key quantitative and qualitative findings.

Keywords:

Blended learning, effectiveness, mixed-methods, t-test, difference-in-difference, quantitative-comparative, personalized learning.