A Systematic Review of the Pedagogical Efficacy and Implementation Barriers of Blended Learning

Md Khaled Bin Chowdhury

Abstract: Blended learning has become popular during the last couple of decades for its benefits to educational institutions, teachers, and students. This study reviews the latest research publications on blended learning published in different countries. This study is a systematic review. The research publications include fourteen newspaper articles, twenty-two journal articles, four doctoral theses, four reports, three conference proceedings, and nine websites. These articles and dissertations deal with the positive impacts of blended learning, such as peer interaction and peer support, teacher feedback, learning varieties, flexibility, self-paced learning, and quality of education. However, many studies also mention several logistical and pedagogical challenges in its implementation. These studies show that despite the challenges of blended learning, this method is expected to effectively reduce session backlog and cost of higher education, increase student-student and student-teacher interaction, and ensure flexibility and quality of higher education in comparison with face-to-face and online education. This study is important because its implications can be replicable for Bangladeshi higher education institutions with certain modifications. It will enhance the quality of education, reduce the cost of education, ensure flexibility, and enhance learning outcomes.

Keywords: Blended method, learning outcomes, student satisfaction, higher-order thinking, classroom interactions

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