How does blended learning shape (dis-)engagement?
In a disadvantaged upper-secondary school, blended learning both enabled and constrained engagement as teachers and students negotiated mismatched work paces.
Source
Negotiating (dis-)engagement in K-12 blended learning
Study at a glance
- Design
- Qualitative / archival — Five-month case study with observations in a disadvantaged upper-secondary blended school
- N
- N=32 · 32 year 10–12 students; 14 classroom observations
- Population
- Upper-secondary students and teachers in a blended-learning school
- Outcome
- Negotiated engagement/disengagement under digital tools and mismatched work paces
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How does blended learning shape (dis-)engagement?
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32 students (year 10-12) participated
32 students (year 10-12) also agreed to participate and provided written, informed consent (see ).
14 classroom observations
Classroom observations (n=14) were undertaken and documented using field notes and photos.
What they did
Over five months, researchers conducted a qualitative case study with classroom observations and participation from upper-secondary students and teachers in a blended-learning setting. They analysed how digital tools, teacher leadership, activity design, and learner self-beliefs shaped engagement and disengagement.
What they found
Digital technologies were sometimes used to enhance learning and sometimes deliberately avoided. Teachers' observed work pace exceeded students' on average, producing tension when push to finish outstripped student pace. Engagement emerged as negotiated across blended context, teacher leadership, activity, and the student as learner.
The limits
What it doesn't show
A single-school case study cannot estimate average effects of blended learning nationwide. Observational pace ratings are interpretive, not randomised causal estimates of achievement gains.
Key terms
- Blended learning (BL)
- Teaching that combines face-to-face classroom practice with digital technologies and online elements.
- (Dis-)engagement
- The dynamic movement between engagement and disengagement in learning situations.
- Work pace
- The observed tempo of teachers' or students' classroom work and progress.
- Teacher leadership
- How teachers guide, organise, and influence learning activity in the classroom.
- Teacher self-efficacy
- Teachers' beliefs in their capability to organise and execute teaching actions that foster learning.
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How many students participated?
Common questions
How many students participated?
32 students in years 10–12.
How many classroom observations were made?
14 observations.
How long did fieldwork last?
Five months (September 2020–January 2021).
Were digital tools always used?
No—there was both use and deliberate avoidance.
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