ERIC Number: EJ1453559
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2331-186X
Effects of Blended Instruction on Students' Paragraph Writing Performances: The Case of First Year Health Science Pharmacy Students at Pharma College Hawassa Campus, Ethiopia
Cogent Education, v11 n1 Article 2321309 2024
This study focused on paragraph writing abilities as it is a fundamental skill for academic and professional success. Improving paragraph writing lays the groundwork for addressing advanced writing tasks and is vital for effective global communication in English. The objective of this study was, therefore, to examine effects of blended instruction on students' paragraph writing performance at Pharma College Hawassa Campus, Ethiopia. A quasi-experimental design was used to attain this objective. A sample of 54 first-year pharmacy department (26 control and 28 experimental) students was taken purposefully. The control group attended conventional, face-to-face approach; whereas experimental group received instruction using blended learning approach via Google Classroom, which incorporated collaborative writing that allowed for peer interaction and scaffolding, extensive online resources for independent learning, face-to-face support, and feedback. Pre-test and post-test paragraph writing were conducted to test effects of blended instruction, and effect size was computed to measure the magnitude of intervention. Furthermore, students' questionnaire was used to collect data on participants' backgrounds and experiences. Results revealed improvements in both groups; however, overall, the experimental group in post-test demonstrated significantly better paragraph writing with a large effect size. Regression analysis highlighted flexibility, collaborative tasks, and instant feedback as key contributors to improvement, whereas impact of authentic materials and face-to-face interactions was comparatively less. Finally, the researchers recommended EFL teachers should benefit from applying blended instruction, which may in turn improve students' paragraph writing performance in English language in the Ethiopian context.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Paragraph Composition, Writing Skills, English (Second Language), Blended Learning, College Students, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Education, In Person Learning, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Collaborative Writing, Program Effectiveness, Student Attitudes, Effect Size, Feedback (Response), Second Language Instruction
Cogent OA. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ethiopia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A