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The first research question asked about ways in which a blended learning approach can be implemented in the IBDP English A classroom. To address this question, it is important to re-visit Garrison and Kanuka’s (2004) definition of what constitutes blended learning. They claim that the nexus of blended learning lies in “the quality and quantity of the interaction and the sense of engagement in a community of inquiry and learning, achieved through the effective integration of Internet communication technology” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p. 97). By this definition, blended learning is not only about employing an ICT infrastructure but instead is about the fostering of a community of inquirers, situated within a computer-supported collaborative learning environment. The deliberation between a balance of face-to- face and online interaction has gained much traction in CSCL research (Beers et al., 2005; Duque et al., 2015; Gress et al., 2010; Kumar et al., 2010; Lowyck & Po, 2001; Schellens & Valcke, 2006; Sinha et al., 2015; So & Bonk, 2010; Stahl, 2017). Thus, this balance of face-to-face and online interaction, albeit blended learning, the findings reported in the previous chapter observe that blended learning can be effectively implemented in the English A classroom, pending several considerations that will be discussed in this chapter.

To address RQ1, this section will present the design and methodological principles used in the implementation of blended learning. It provides an overview of the design principles necessary for such an implementation. The discussion on the

necessary design principles for a blended learning approach will be done in the following two ways. The first will examine the design of the LangLit curriculum which draws on tenets of DBR. Second, it will explore the design of an iteration that draws on Garrison’s (2006) collaborative design principles.

DBR Principles.The research study draws on the “iterative logic” (Cobb et al.,

2003, p. 9) in the design and implementation of a blended learning approach. The cyclical pattern of didactic lectures, collaborative class and online groupwork and teacher-led class discussion (see Figure 11) reported in this current study are important iterations that help to refine the overall design. These multiple iterations provided opportunities to amend the original design for a more effective implementation. In short, each iteration will not only inform the design but also contribute to the refinement of the curriculum.

Figure 12. Design of Pedagogical Activities for a Unit.

The revision of an iteration was based not only on the field notes and observations of students’ online behaviour but also on the interactions between students and the teacher-researcher during FGIs. Students highlighted that whilst there were merits to groupwork on most of the online tasks, they were not quite as beneficial when working on essay questions placed on GoogleDocs. Their suggestion that it should be paired work instead was taken into consideration for the next few iterations which students found beneficial. More significantly, students’ feedback

showed not only their participation but also ownership over their learning. In short, they regarded the activity as a resource for learning. This finding goes counter to earlier observations of blended learning in Singapore’s educational institutes where e- learning was a mere “porting of the classroom to the Internet to reproduce the functionality and ‘look and feel’ of the existing classroom materials in a new operating platform” and/or that there was a “lack of two-way interaction between students” and teachers (Tham & Tham, 2011, p. 138). Indeed, the iterations reported in this study have “the potential to contribute to or generate theory or conjectures” (Amiel & Reeves, 2008, p. 36).

Online collaborative principles. As Garrison (2006) observes, the design,

facilitation and direct instruction are key areas which leverages on the community of inquiry model. His recommendation of creating “a climate of trust and belonging” (p. 26) echoes the findings reported in this study. Students were initially uncomfortable with (1) working with each other and (2) with the online tasks. The initial awkwardness they experienced in both the new class and in their respective groups was evident when they gingerly tiptoed around each other in the first iteration, unsure of the type of responses and/or feedback that they needed to give. Added to this discomfort was the ‘new’ mode of learning. Students had been accustomed to a top-down traditional classroom pedagogical teaching approach and this was their first experience with blended learning. Accordingly, the initial iterations in the research helped them to, first, mediate the initial awkwardness as classmates and group members, and second, negate their discomfort of blended learning through repetitions of the activities over a period of 21 weeks. Thus, the end of the first iteration where the teacher conducted a whole class discussion and provided closure for the unit, allowed these students to reflect on their past experiences. This also echoes the cognitive presence that Garrison (2006) advises as necessary to “establish critical reflection and discourse that will support systematic inquiry” (p. 28).

Implications.Clearly, it is necessary that detailed planning, allowing students

to explore and mediate their ‘new’ learning environment, must first be done. By the end of the study, students agreed that blended learning was a pedagogical teaching

approach that should be adopted for the next cohort of students and that collaborative learning was useful. Additionally, they acknowledged that the use of technological tools and how they employed them were also indicative of themselves as independent learners. However, most of them prefaced that though online interactions were accessible, they preferred face-to-face interactions, underlining the latter as instrumental to collaborative learning. Nonetheless, students found collaborative group tasks (i.e. Paper 1 and 2 essays on GoogleDocs) valuable. Though they preferred GoogleDocs, they acknowledged that blogs and wikis were technological tools that provided them with experiential learning and these tasks helped to scaffold their understanding of each respective text type. Accordingly, the iterative cycles of the research design not only refined the research study, but also afforded students with a repetitive pattern in which they could familiarise themselves with a new learning pedagogy.

In summary, key areas, as discussed in this section, are essential to the planning and implementation of blended learning in a Singaporean LangLit classroom. Moreover, besides adopting the principles that govern a DBR (i.e. iterations, interactions between students and teachers, etc.), the educational context also plays a key role. All of which will be discussed in greater detail in RQ2 and RQ3.

6.3 Students’ Experiences and Perception on the Effectiveness of Blended Learning