The Effects of a Cloud-Based Blended Learning Environment on Students' Achievement, Persistence and Cognitive Load

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of cloud-based blended learning environments on the achievement,persistency, and cognitive load of vocational high school students. Moreover, the study aimed to determine the students’opinions on the effectiveness of the blended learning environments they used.Design/Methodology/Approach: 6-week implementation was conducted using MoodleCloud, through a course created withcontent prepared to be in line with multimedia design principles.The study group consisted of 33 individuals in total, with 17students in the experimental group and 16 in the control group. The research model applied in the study was semiexperimental, with data collection tools consisting of an Achievement Test, a Practice Exam, a Scale for Measuring theEffectiveness of Blended Learning Environments, and a Cognitive Load Scale. During analysis of the collected data, t-test,ANCOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, and descriptive statistics were used.Findings: The findings of the study concluded that students in the Experimental Group achieved significantly higher scores inthe Achievement Test and Practice Exam than those in the Control Group. On the other hand, there was no significantdifference found to exist between the two groups in terms of the Persistency Test. Regarding their cognitive load scores, asignificant difference was found to exist between the students who studied within a blended learning environment and thosewho studied in a face-to-face learning environment, but this was only for Week 5 of the implementation, whereas there wereno significant differences found for any of the other weeks. Moreover, it was concluded that there was no significantcorrelation found between the cognitive load and the success of the students. In addition, it was notable that the students heldmore positive views about the blended learning environment over the other environments.Highlights: it may be said that the education applied within the cloud-based blended learning environment had a positiveeffect on the students’ academic success. The significant difference revealed in Week 5 may suggest that the cognitive load ofstudents may decrease when the implementation time is extended.