Blended Learning Adoption in an ESL Context: Obstacles and Guidelines.

Shebansky, William J.

The integration of blended learning is well underway across diverse educational settings. Along with this shift in instructional method are obstacles and accompanying research. There has been less interest, however, in examining the adoption of blended learning in English as a second language (ESL) contexts. This study investigates what factors most influence instructors to adopt blended learning in different ESL settings. This research is informed by the work of Porter, Graham, Bodily, and Sandberg (2015) in a university context. Utilizing the same frameworks in a mixed methods exploratory research design, I surveyed 48 ESL instructors from three different ESL settings, then followed up with interviews of nine Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) instructors. Quantitative data point to similarities in the factors that most influence the technology- adoption decisions of instructors across different ESL settings, primarily the ability to quickly upload and download materials and the availability of professional development. Qualitative data suggest that adoption is primarily hampered by required time commitments and the lack of technical supports. This research contributes to the discussion on blended learning adoption, specifically in relation to government-funded LINC programs. Lessons learned will facilitate instructor implementation and program policies.

BLENDED learning; TEACHING methods; ENGLISH as a foreign language; ENGLISH language education; FOREIGN language education

TESL Canada Journal / Revue TESL du Canada, 2018, Vol 35, Issue 1, p52

0826-435X

Academic Journal

10.18806/tesl.v35i1.1284