Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Blended Elearning Tools And Upper Elementary Reading Achievement, Angela Dawn Tester-Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Though researchers have demonstrated that adaptive practice software is an effective tool to use with primary grade students, they have not fully established the impact blended eLearning tools have on upper elementary students in a suburban school setting. The problem facing one southeastern state district was that their schools had selected different approaches to address declining reading scores, but the district had no systematic analysis of the chosen blended eLearning tools to determine an improvement in reading growth scores among all students. The purpose of this comparative quantitative project study was to determine the influence different blended eLearning tools, Reading …

Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Blended Learning In The Digital Classroom, Sarah Cummings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blended learning is an instructional model in which instruction is delivered using a combination of traditional teaching methods and online learning materials such as digital textbooks, virtual textbooks, and teacher-made videos. The problem was that elementary teachers in local schools were not implementing blended learning as intended by the school’s improvement plan. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of elementary teachers in Grades 3-5 who have experience using blended learning. The framework for the study is the complex adaptive blended learning system (CABLS) because it helps examine the blended learning elements and the changes that result …

Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Blended Learning In The Digital Classroom, Sarah Cummings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blended learning is an instructional model in which instruction is delivered using a combination of traditional teaching methods and online learning materials such as digital textbooks, virtual textbooks, and teacher-made videos. The problem was that elementary teachers in local schools were not implementing blended learning as intended by the school’s improvement plan. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of elementary teachers in Grades 3-5 who have experience using blended learning. The framework for the study is the complex adaptive blended learning system (CABLS) because it helps examine the blended learning elements and the changes that result …

How College Faculty Experience Designing Blended Courses They Teach, Judy Bauer Puritt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blended learning has been growing and evolving in higher education since the early 2000s. Despite extensive quantitative research examining blended course use and exploration of how students experience blended-courses, more situated, local research about faculty members’ experiences was needed. The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a deeper understanding of faculty members’ experiences during the decision-making process in designing blended courses they teach. The conceptual framework was grounded in Engeström’s activity theory to allow an exploration of individual agency within a specific community setting. Faculty members’ decision-making experiences and perceptions were explored using an interpretive description methodology. A …

Teacher Characteristics And Blended Learning Adoption In Stem-Focused Charter Schools, Omer Faruk Polat

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As an innovative teaching strategy, blended learning provides an environment where students are able to receive individualized instruction based on their needs. Even though the number of schools that adopt blended models of instruction has been increasing nationwide, the number of studies that explore the relationship between teacher characteristics and blended learning use is limited. This quantitative survey study explored the relationship between selected characteristics of teachers and the levels of blended learning adoption in charter schools with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focus. The concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) was used as a theoretical lens as it provided tools …

Perspectives Of Elementary Teachers Implementing Blended Learning While Participating In Virtual Coaching, Jessica Kristin Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the use of blended learning in classrooms has increased across the United States, it is important to provide differentiated professional development and support to educators. As a technology-enabled form of professional development, virtual coaching connects teachers with experts in the field. However, the usefulness of individualized virtual coaching as a differentiated professional development support for elementary teachers implementing blended learning is not well understood. Using Kolb’s experiential learning theory and Magana’s T3 framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary teachers’ perspectives on the usefulness of individualized virtual coaching in supporting blended learning implementation and …

Teach-To-One Blended Mathematics' Impact On Middle School Students' Mathematics Achievement, Navdeep Dhindsa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blended learning that integrates computer-assisted instruction with face-to-face instruction is gaining popularity in U.S. middle schools; therefore, the effectiveness of such blended learning models in improving middle school students' achievement in mathematics needs to be explored. Middle school students at a public Connecticut school have shown poor performance in mathematics on a state standardized test. The local district implemented a blended learning model, Teach to One: Math (TTO), in 1 of the middle schools to improve students' performance in mathematics. The theoretical framework for this study was Koehler and Mishra's theory of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. The key research …

Middle School Students' Experiences In An Online Problem-Based Learning Environment, Teri A. Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of implementing educational reform is to improve the academic achievement and social skills of graduating students, but evaluating the benefits of a particular instructional method or curriculum design can be complicated. In an online and problem-based learning environment that allows students to choose content and assessment projects and self-pace, the motivation of students to learn and their engagement in the learning process significantly influences the success of the program. This generic qualitative study focused on the experiences of middle school students participating in an online and problem-based educational setting. The study included interview data and self-evaluation questionnaires about …

Blended Learning As An Instructional Strategy To Improve Academic Performance, Debra-Dreana Marshall-Stuart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education institutions in Barbados have introduced blended learning as a strategy to improve students' academic performance and achievement. Despite the implementation of blended learning, the poor student performance and outcomes persist. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teaching processes and practices at the institution have influenced blended learning to improve student achievement. A social constructivist framework was used to guide the study. The research question addressed the practices and processes used by teachers to increase student learning and performance in a blended learning environment. Data collection involved semistructured interviews with 6 teachers from the …

Educator Experiences Transitioning To A Blended Learning Environment In K-6 Public, Sandra Lopez Somera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Enrollments in blended learning programs are growing, creating a challenge to find educators who understand blended learning pedagogy. The purpose of this study was to identify and understand the challenges and pedagogical transformations of elementary educators who recently adopted blended learning. The concerns-based adoption model provided a conceptual framework to examine teacher concerns and level of implementation of innovative change. A multiple case study design was used to capture the experiences and perceptions of the participants' transition to a blended learning environment. Two teachers in one school in a California school district that transitioned to a blended learning approach were …

Examining K-12 Teachers' Affective Job Satisfaction And Perceptions Of Blended Instruction, Michael Hiett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increasing use of blended models of instruction within the U.S. public school system is transforming the K-12 education. However, few studies have been conducted of the innovation-adoption process involving blended instruction within the K-12 public school sector. In this nonexperimental, quantitative study, Rogers's five perceived attributes of innovations was used as a theoretical lens to explore how teachers' affective job satisfaction might affect the innovation-adoption process at the individual level. Research questions pertained to the relationship, if any, between affective job satisfaction among teachers and their perceptions of the complexity, compatibility, and relative advantage of blended instruction. Surveys were …

An Examination Of Blended Learning And The Traditional Classroom Using Achievement Scores, Brandy Hiett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although varying models of blended learning are being adopted in schools, research on the effect of blended learning on students in different subjects and grade levels has not been examined. This naturalistic, quasi-experimental study examined the effect of the rotation model of blended learning at the middle school level on students' language arts performance to determine how the rotation model of blended learning compares to the traditional model of learning. The study's theoretical framework consisted of Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning and Bloom's theory of mastery learning. The population consisted of 979 non-Title 1, Georgia public middle school students …

Examining U.S. Middle School Students' Achievement In A Blended Learning Environment, Bernadette Ortiz-Brewster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

U.S. middle schools are increasing offering blended learning curricula that integrates virtual and face-to-face instruction, but the effectiveness of this mode of instruction at the middle school level has not been adequately explored. This investigation provides additional data to the current body of knowledge related to blended learning as a viable option for middle school students. The theoretical framework for this investigation derives from Lev Vygotsky's social development theory and Jean Piaget's constructivist theory of knowledge. The central research question focused on the difference in achievement scores between 6th grade students participating in a virtual course as compared to …

Web 2.0 Tools And Communities Of Practice: Bridging Gaps In Novice Teacher Training, Stacey Donaldson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Novice teachers do not have sufficient opportunities to troubleshoot real-world teaching situations prior to having their own classrooms. Antiquated professional development (PD) models lack the collaboration element that provides authentic application of concepts. This qualitative case study was conducted to fill a gap in research on novice teachers' voluntary participation in an online community of practice. The study explored how the situated learning in this virtual community addressed the cognitive and social needs of early career teachers as they made the theory to practice connections. The community of practice framework and the social learning theories supported socialization as essential in …

Exploring Teacher Perceptions Of Blended Learning, Jill I. Sorbie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although research supports the blended learning methodology as a way to personalize and engage students, research also documents the widespread hesitation among educators when it comes to embracing technology. District leaders believe that such is the case in an upper Midwest school district where all high school students are provided devices, yet these leaders note that few teachers are fully exploiting the tools. Framed by the connectivism and social constructivism theories, this qualitative case study focused on teachers' views of blended learning, its influence on their teaching practices, and how they see it helping students to learn. The guiding research …