The Teaching and Learning of English For Academic Purposes in Blended Environment

Abstract

Learners and educators worldwide have been exposed to new information and communication technologies in order to stimulate and further enhance the learning process. The introduction of blended learning environment using learning management system (LMS) chosen by universities can indeed bring about positive impact on students’ performance in their studies. This study was a blended learning pilot project for English for Academic Purposes. This study examined the students’ perception, engagement and performance in the blended learning environment. A total of 963 students and 23 lecturers of Universiti Teknologi MARA Melaka took part in this study for the July– November 2010 academic semester. The study was both exploratory and experimental in nature. A set of questionnaire was used to gather students’ perception, examination of students and lecturers’ interaction in i- discussion was done to determine students’ engagement and t-tests were carried out to seek the difference of students’ performance between the blended learning group and the face-to-face group. Results of frequency count from the questionnaire showed that the students viewed blended learning positively. There were also signs of engagement in the learning environment from the examination of i-discussion.. However, their reservation was on the lack of technical support and the inefficiency of the LMS system. As for the students’ performance, it was reported that there was no significant difference between students who involved in blended learning and those students who did not. Based on the analysis of this study, a number of implications have been drawn regarding the use of blended learning in the EAP course suggesting that, blended learning is a viable method to be utilized for this course.