This document provides an overview of a study on language learning in a hybrid pedagogical environment. The study aims to understand student perceptions of their hybrid Spanish language course and how teachers can apply student feedback to improve hybrid course design. A phenomenological case study method is used to collect data through interviews, observations, and surveys of students and teachers. The timeline outlines pre, mid, and post data collection from students and teachers to understand their experiences over the course of the Spanish language class. Grounded theory methods are also utilized to analyze collected data and inform future interviews with the goal of identifying patterns and variations to develop theories about successful hybrid language instruction.
2. Introduction
• My background - ESL
• UMSL
• Hybrid and Online courses
– Rapidly expanding field
– Pedagogically and financially
• Ed Tech
– Focus on the use of technology in a hybrid
classroom
• Language classroom – Spanish
3. Lenses
• Sociocultural theory
– Mediated mind – situated learning – how students use
language in thinking activities
– ZPD – problem solving under guidance
• Krashen’s second language acquisition theory
– i+1 – comprehensible input
• Constructivist learning environment
– Learners work together using a variety of tools in the
pursuit of learning goals
• Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
– Effective technology integration
• The International Society for Technology in Education
(ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)
– Educator-created standards
4. Research Questions
• For students:
– How do students perceive their hybrid
learning experience?
• For teachers:
– How do teachers take that information
and make use of it when constructing a
hybrid language course?
5. Guide for questions
• Amalgam of various sites and
resources
• Five factors that are key to success
in an hybrid course
– Technology – access, use, and support
– Buy in – teacher and student
– Motivation – attitude and engagement
– Time – teacher and student
– Efficacy – following best practices?
6. Significance
• March 8, 2013, St Louis Post-Dispatch
article “Flipped classrooms: homework
in class, online lectures at home”
– The number of schools using the flipped
approach has doubled since 2010
– Universities like the idea because this
approach can ultimately cut costs
– Students like it because students are the
focus and they have more chances to ask
questions and get feedback
7. Purpose of the study
• The purpose of this study is twofold
– To note and review student perceptions
of content delivery, knowledge
expression activities, and assessment
of hybrid language instruction
– To monitor teacher development and
understanding of best hybrid pedagogy
8. Methods
• Basic qualitative study
• Phenomenological case study
– Lived experience (Van Manen, 1990)
– Primary method of data collection: interviews (Merriam,
2009) and observation
– Researcher explores own experience (Merrriam, 2009)
• Bracketed (unbiased) (Husserl, 1970) and
“unbracketed” (biased)
– Better overall understanding of another’s experience
(Creswell, 2007)
– Horizontalization (Moustakas, 1994) – data analysis –
clusters of meaning – equal weight
– Textural Descriptions – using participant voices
(Moustakas, 1994)
– Structural descriptions - contextualization (Moustakas,
1994)
– Composite – combination of textural and structural
9. Methods
• Phenomenological case study
– “over time, through detailed, in-depth data
collection involving multiple sources of
information” (Creswell, 2007)
• Observations, interviews, audiovisuals, written
materials, reports, written work, online work, etc.
– Bounded system – a particular hybrid course
– Unit of analysis – learners’ experiences in that
particular hybrid course
– Instrumental - “provide insight” “facilitates our
understanding” (Stake, 2005)
10. Methods
• Grounded theory
– “particularly useful for addressing questions
about process, that is, how something
changes over time” (Merriam, 2009)
• Data –
interviews, observations, documentary
materials (Merriam, 2009)
• Theoretical sampling - analysis of data
being collected in order to decide what data
to collect next (Glaser & Strauss, 1967)
• Constant Comparison – data is grouped
and analyzed looking for emerging patterns
(Corbin and Strauss, 1990)
11. Timeline
Phenomenological case study
• Mid-July – pre-program interview with teacher – life history
• Pre-program student survey – life history - Qualtrics
embed
• Classroom observation – 8 total classes (3 hours – T/Th) –
observe 4 – first two Tuesdays and last two Thursdays
• Mid-program student survey - contemporary experience -
Qualtrics
• Mid-program teacher interview – present experience
• Think alouds – purposeful sampling – maximum variation
(Patton, 1989) - students chosen with teacher input to
represent a spectrum
• Post-program student survey – reflection on meaning -
Qualtrics
• Post-program teacher interview – reflection on meaning
(Seidman, 2013)
12. Timeline
Grounded theory research
• Collect and analyze data in an ongoing process (Strauss &
Corbin, 1990) – starting in July
• Data is given conceptual labels and categories begin to form
(Strauss & Corbin, 1990) which will help inform future questions
• “After developing a tentative category, we return to the field
setting to gain specific data to illuminate the category”
(Charmaz, 2011, p.167) -
• A variety of teachers will be interview in the language
department to “identify as much variation in types as possible”
to find representatives of concepts (Strauss & Corbin, 1990)
• Patterns and variations are collected in theoretical memos
(Strauss & Corbin, 1990)
• Language teachers will be identified and interviewed at the
beginning of the Fall semester