Effect of Integrating PBL in BL on Student Engagement in an EFL Course and Students' Perceptions

Abstract

In higher education, blended learning (BL) is becoming increasingly popular, and students' engagement (SE) in this setting can be a crucial indicator of their academic performance. Despite suggestions for enhanced student engagement in blended learning, few studies in blended learning have specifically addressed student engagement in their research questions. To address this deficiency, problem-based learning (PBL) was adopted to complement BL to foster SE in the Chinese EFL context. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were administered to 379 and 12 students, respectively. Results showed that the integration of BL and PBL significantly affected College English students' behavioural, cognitive, and emotional engagement. Additionally, the qualitative findings verified that students recognised the positive effect of integrating PBL into blended learning. It particularly emphasised the importance of face-to-face (FTF), a learning management system (LMS), and the provision of interesting resources and material as keys to fostering student engagement in BL. The use of real-life situational settings, group study, and the development of learning strategies were also highlighted to promote student engagement. This study sheds light on how to increase student engagement in blended learning environments and extends to the setting of Chinese EFL.