Pedagogical Support for Blended Learning Classrooms: Interfacing Teacher and Student Perspectives

The continued rise of technology in the educational system has brought about new teaching approaches such as blended learning. To fully utilize this approach, researchers have focused on studying the dynamics between various learning variables and its implementation. However, the intersection of context in the actual implementation of blended learning in the classroom remains to be a rich field for researchers. The present study explored the pedagogical support needed to implement blended learning. By examining the perspectives of five teachers and 60 secondary students through a questionnaire and semi-structured interview, emerging themes were identified through qualitative analysis. Results revealed that students look into the alignment between the face-to-face and online instruction, proper spacing of activities, and provision of pre-requisite skills for the tasks assigned to them. While students acknowledge the benefits of using blended learning in the lesson, it is equally crucial that the challenges are resolved so they may be able to comply with the requirements set by the teachers. Teachers, on the other hand, seek the provision of technical skills, training on new pedagogies, and sufficient preparation time for them to effectively develop lessons following a blended learning approach model. With the varied degree of implementation of blended learning in schools, it is necessary for school heads and teachers to work together to develop relevant and responsive policies to support students in complying with the requirements of their classes.