- Title
- Student motivation to engage in blended learning: a Singapore case study
- Creator
- Tham, Raymond Kwong Onn
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of blended learning at University of Newcastle Singapore Campus (UoNS) and the key factors that would motivate students to utilize and tap the full potential of blended learning at UoNS. It examines the degree to which various factors, such as instructional design and strategies, instructor feedback, social interaction, collaborative learning, as well as, student motivational orientations and demographics, such as age, gender and ethnicity, have an impact on student engagement in blended learning. The research design for this study is a mixed method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The first part was a quantitative design, where a campus-wide survey was conducted across all disciplines at UoNS. There was a total of 610 respondents to the survey. The main survey was supplemented by a case study of two cohorts of undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) degree at UoNS. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on the case groups. The aim of the qualitative analysis was to investigate students’ multiple perceptions, motivational orientations and engagement in blended learning, which are not captured in the survey. The campus-wide survey and the case study facilitated a holistic interpretation of the data. The study demonstrates that UoNS students were motivated by blended learning as they found the learning activities beneficial, effective and enjoyable. This study highlighted the importance of the contextual and social influences on student engagement in blended learning. Another significant finding of this study is that students experienced both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Students are intrinsically motivated to engage in blended learning, when their need for autonomy, competence and intrinsic value are met. However, given their Asian cultural orientations, students were also extrinsically motivated by grades, recognition and praise from their parents and instructors. They also displayed ego-involved motivation where they seek to outperform their peers. The major contributions of this study are the formulation of a more comprehensive definition of blended learning, the development of a blended learning conceptual model and the five i-factors schema for the effective implementation of blended learning in Singapore’s institutions of higher learning and to engage students in self-regulated learning. A review of literature shows that there are many definitions of blended learning seeking to incorporate different perspectives and there is no single, collectively accepted definition. In recent years, researchers observed that blended learning should be viewed from the perspective of the learning experience as well and not just from the perspective of instruction. Blended learning should address three dimensions: the learning experiences, the instructional strategies and the tools used to implement the strategies. In the light of this, a more comprehensive definition of blended learning is recommended in this study, as follows: “Blended learning is the total mix of pedagogical methods, using a harmonious integration of various learning strategies to provide enriched, student-centred learning experiences both with and without the use of technology.” The blended learning conceptual model demonstrates that a learner’s intrinsic motivation to engage in self-directed learning is dependent on the satisfaction of his/her needs for autonomy, competence, and intrinsic value. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations can influence student engagement in blended learning, and that extrinsic motivation can result in intrinsic motivation, when mediated by reactive autonomy. The five i-factors schema addresses the pedagogical, social and technical elements needed for an optimal blended learning environment. It adopts a holistic approach to blended learning. Overall, this research has provided evidence of effective teaching and learning strategies for both instructors and students in higher education. With the growing importance of blended learning in higher education in Singapore and other Asian countries, both the conceptual model and five i-factors schema, provide practical principles to guide the development of an effective blended learning environment, where students are able to engage in meaningful and deep learning. The findings of this study adds to existing research on the key motivational factors that would stimulate, sustain and increase student participation in blended learning, in Singapore’s institutes of higher learning.
- Subject
- blended learning; student motivation and engagement; Singapore higher education; self-determination theory
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1332694
- Identifier
- uon:26924
- Rights
- Copyright 2016 Raymond Kwong Onn Tham
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 125 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |