Exploring the Perceptions of Novice Spanish Students in Blended Courses

Abstract

The present research aims to gauge novice college Spanish students’ perceptions of blended courses to help the design and teaching of blended learning. Blended learning shifts from teacher-centered classes to a learner-centered focus (Hartman, Dziuban & Moskal, 1999; Morgan 2002). There is also more emphasis on peer-to-peer learning (Collis, 2003) since information can be easily shared. The participants of the study had no prior experience taking blended courses. The 14 participants were given an anonymous questionnaire at the end of the semester to explore their perceptions of hybrid learning in order to enhance the set-up of the courses. The questionnaire consisted of open- and closedended questions. The findings of the study revealed moderately positive attitudes towards blended courses. Finally, after analyzing the participants’ discourse, some suggestions for the design and instruction of future blended courses were outlined, especially for novice foreign language learners.