Impact of Implementing Blended Learning on EFL Students’ Attitudes in HEIs in Palestine: Lessons learned from TEFL-ePAL project

Abstract

The present study addresses the impact of implementing blended learning, interactive learning materials, and 21st-century teaching methods on students' attitudes toward learning EFL at Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in Palestine. Moreover, it aims to highlight the efficacy of digital resources as supportive education, which can be relied on to achieve the goals of education. To achieve the purposes of this study, the researcher developed a 5 Likert scale questionnaire. The validity and the reliability of this instrument were tested and assured. The sample of the study consisted of 208 EFL students joining 4 Palestinian universities: Al-Quds Open University (QOU), Palestine Ahliya University (PAU), Palestine Technical University/ Kadoori (PTUK), and Al-Istiqlal University (PASS) during the first semester of the academic year 2021-2022. The quasi-experimental method was used. The results indicated that implementing 21st-century methods of teaching and using interactive learning materials developed positive attitudes toward learning English as a foreign language in higher education. The results also revealed several barriers that students face, that hinder adopting educational technology and enhancing professional and sustainable development in higher education in Palestine, including usability concerns, technical issues, digital literacy gaps, etc. The researcher offers recommendations on ways to foster adopting student-centered approaches and educational technology to enhance sustainability in teacher development in Palestine.