TEACHERS’ CONCERNS ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BLENDED LEARNING
MELISSA WALKER
Valdosta State University, 1500 N. Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31698, United States of America.
JAMES PATE
Valdosta State University, 1500 N. Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31698, United States of America.
DAESANG KIM *
Valdosta State University, 1500 N. Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31698, United States of America
MICHAEL BOCHENKO
Valdosta State University, 1500 N. Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31698, United States of America.
TARA UNDERWOOD
Middle Georgia State University, 100 University Parkway, Macon, Georgia 31206, United States of America.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
While several existing studies have examined the stage of concern with a focus on the integration of technology in the classroom, limited research is available through the lens of blended learning. The goal of this study was to provide insight and perspective into the implementation of blended learning within the K-12 classroom. A sample of 106 full-time K-12 teachers’ concerns was examined through the lens of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). The data were collected in two phases for this mixed-methods study: Phase I (quantitative) consisted of administering an online stage of concern questionnaire. The open-ended questions on the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews provided the evidence for Phase II, the qualitative phase. The results of this study indicate that teachers are in the early concern stages regarding the implementation of blended learning. An analysis of the quantitative data indicated a significant relationship between teachers’ stages of concern and their age and number of years implementing blended learning. Analysis of the qualitative data indicated that teachers’ top three concerns centered around school technology, blended learning resources, and students’ home Wi-Fi and technology access. The findings of this study may prove valuable in enhancing our understanding of blended learning practices in school classrooms to address teachers’ concerns about implementing blended learning.
Keywords: Teacher concerns;, blended learning, Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), K-12 classroom