An investigation of teacher and administrator perceptions of blended learning in two selected unity schools in Kogi State, Nigeria

Background Unity Secondary Schools in Nigeria are taking significant steps to provide effective learning experiences for their students and one approach that they have adopted is blended learning. Motivation behind the research Despite this move, there appears to be no clear understanding of what blended learning is and what this approach to learning really entails. This qualitative study, therefore, seeks to investigate the perception of teachers and administrators on what they consider to be the definition and practice of blended learning, its implementation, and challenges as well as the implication of blended learning for teachers’ professional development in two selected Unity Secondary Schools in Nigeria. Theoretical Framework The researcher used the theoretical framework of Davis (1986) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical lens to penetrate issues, challenges and current concerns posed in blended learning implementation in selected Unity Secondary Schools in Nigeria. The researcher proposes that applying Davis (1986) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) will facilitate an understanding of issues relating to the implementation of blended learning in Unity Secondary Schools and provide useful insights for educational institutions who have adopted or wish to adopt and combine various information, communication, and related technologies with traditional classroom instruction. Methodology This research is framed in an interpretivist perspective in the context of a qualitative research to examine the perceptions of teachers and administrators with a view to ascertaining how the concept of blended learning is defined, how it is implemented, its challenges as well as its implications for teachers’ professional development. The qualitative research approach is considered a valuable method for educational research to develop theory, evaluate programs, and develop interventions. To achieve the aim and objectives of this research work, extensive fieldwork research was conducted using multiple sources of data collection to ensure triangulation of data. The triangulation design used data collected from three different qualitative research methods (semi-structured interviews with teachers and administrators, focus group discussion with teachers, and documentary evidences such as the National Policy on Education (NPE), National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) and the National Information and Communication and Technology (ICT) Policy. The qualitative evidence was analysed using thematic analysis and content analysis of policy documents. The content analysis of policy documents responded to the need to systematically examine the implementation of the provisions of the National Policy on Education, National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy as well as the Nigerian National Policy for Information and Communication Technology (NPICT) in Education regarding the provision of ICT infrastructure and capacity development and how it affects the use of the blended learning approach to teaching and learning in Unity Secondary Schools in Nigeria. Results Although the research findings identified various perceptions of the definition of blended learning as well as perceived benefits of blended learning intervention. Practical challenges of the effective implementation of blended learning were also identified as follows: lack of clearly defined and streamlined strategies for teachers’ professional development supportive of blended learning implementation, poor ICT skills of teachers, lack of ICT infrastructure, under-funding, inadequate electricity, lack of access to software that will facilitate teaching and learning, lack of internet access, absence of a well-articulated strategy to guide ICT implementation, lack of political will to implement blended learning in Unity Secondary Schools, all of which account for blended learning implementation challenges. Recommendations While highlighting these perceived challenges of the effective implementation of blended learning, the study recommends that the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy strengthens the administrative capacity of Unity Secondary Schools to drive and implement blended learning interventions, while also putting into place strategies that favour the professional development-oriented growth for teachers in Unity Secondary Schools. Furthermore, the research suggests that an ICT Policy Implementation Commission be established that will address the challenges highlighted in the literature and in this study, and help sustain the shift from traditional pedagogy to the pedagogy of technology integration where teaching can incorporate technology to make learning active and teaching student centred Contribution to Knowledge The contributions of this research work on academic and practical levels are apparent with the research demonstrating a significant effort at carrying out an in-depth study that seeks to examine the issues, challenges, and dilemmas in the implementation of the blended learning instructional approach in the context of a developing-country, and more specifically in Unity Secondary Schools. This is due to previous studies focusing on blended learning in Higher Education Institutions and were generally undertaken in different cultural contexts from Nigeria. The study therefore, seeks to bridge this gap in knowledge. Practically, the study has significant implications for both educators, and decision makers, such as: the need to be more committed to the effective implementation of blended learning interventions. Similarly, the study underscores the need for the development of a strategic framework for teachers’ professional development. Fundamentally, the study emphasises the need to develop a carefully outlined action plan that will guide educators as well as other stakeholders in Nigeria’s secondary education sub-sector on ways to address the challenges that have inhibited the effective implementation of blended learning. These plans, the study noted, must be such that will address the issues of teachers’ professional development, underfunding and lack of ICT infrastructure in Unity Secondary Schools. Finally, several directions for further research have been recommended for study

Dinâmicas de MOODLiz@ção num agrupamento de escolas de Matosinhos: o caso do agrupamento vertical de escolas de Leça da Palmeira/Santa Cruz do Bispo

Doutoramento em Multimédia em EducaçãoO advento da Internet e da Web, na década de 1990, a par da introdução e desenvolvimento das novas TIC e, por consequência, a emergência da Sociedade da Informação e do Conhecimento, implicaram uma profunda alteração na forma de análise dos processos de ensino-aprendizagem, já não apenas segundo um prisma cognitivista, mas, agora, também social, isto é, segundo a(s) perspetiva(s) construtivista(s). Simultaneamente, torna-se imperativo que, para que possam transformar-se em futuros trabalhadores de sucesso, isto é, trabalhadores de conhecimento (Gates, 1999), os sujeitos aprendentes passem a ser efetivamente educados/preparados para a Sociedade da Informação e do Conhecimento e, tanto quanto possível, através da educação/formação ao longo da vida (Moore e Thompson, 1997; Chute, Thompson e Hancock, 1999). Todavia, de acordo com Jorge Reis Lima e Zélia Capitão, não se deve considerar esta mudança de paradigma como uma revolução mas, antes, uma evolução, ou, mais concretamente ainda, uma “conciliação de perspectivas cognitivas e sociais” (Reis Lima e Capitão, 2003:53). Assim, às instituições de ensino/formação cumprirá a tarefa de preparar os alunos para as novas competências da era digital, promovendo “a aprendizagem dos pilares do conhecimento que sustentarão a sua aprendizagem ao longo da vida” (Reis Lima e Capitão, Ibidem:54), isto é, “aprender a conhecer”, “aprender a fazer”, “aprender a viver em comum”, e “aprender a ser” (Equipa de Missão para a Sociedade da Informação, 1997:39; negritos e sublinhados no original). Para outros, a Internet, ao afirmar-se como uma tecnologia ubíqua, cada vez mais acessível, e de elevado potencial, “vem revolucionando a gestão da informação, o funcionamento do mercado de capitais, as cadeias e redes de valor, o comércio mundial, a relação entre governos e cidadãos, os modos de trabalhar e de comunicar, o entretenimento, o contacto intercultural, os estilos de vida, as noções de tempo e de distância. A grande interrogação actual reside em saber se a Internet poderá também provocar alterações fundamentais nos modos de aprender e de ensinar” (Carneiro, 2002:17-18; destaques no original). Trata-se, portanto, como argumenta Armando Rocha Trindade (2004:10), de reconhecer que “Os requisitos obrigatórios para a eficácia da aprendizagem a ser assim assegurada são: a prévia disponibilidade de materiais educativos ou de formação de alta qualidade pedagógica e didáctica, tanto quanto possível auto-suficientes em termos de conteúdos teóricos e aplicados, bem como a previsão de mecanismos capazes de assegurar, permanentemente, um mínimo de interactividade entre docentes e aprendentes, sempre que quaisquer dificuldades destes possam manifestarse”. Esta questão é também equacionada pelo Eng.º Arnaldo Santos, da PT Inovação, quando considera que, à semelhança da “maioria dos países, a formação a distância em ambientes Internet e Intranet, vulgo e-Learning, apresenta-se como uma alternativa pedagógica em franca expansão. Portugal está a despertar para esta nova realidade. São várias as instituições nacionais do sector público e privado que utilizam o e-Learning como ferramenta ou meio para formar as suas pessoas” (Santos, 2002:26). Fernando Ramos acrescenta também que os sistemas de educação/formação que contemplam componentes não presenciais, “isto é que potenciam a flexibilidade espacial, têm vindo a recorrer às mais variadas tecnologias de comunicação para permitir a interacção entre os intervenientes, nomeadamente entre os professores e os estudantes. Um pouco por todo o mundo, e também em Portugal, se têm implantado sistemas (habitualmente designados como sistemas de ensino a distância), recorrendo às mais diversas tecnologias de telecomunicações, de que os sistemas de educação através de televisão ou os sistemas de tutoria por rádio ou telefone são exemplos bem conhecidos” (Ramos, 2002b:138-139). Ora, o nosso estudo entronca precisamente na análise de um sistema ou plataforma tecnológica de gestão de aprendizagens (Learning Management System - LMS), o MOODLE, procurando-se, deste modo, dar resposta ao reconhecimento de que “urge investigar sobre a utilização real e pedagógica da plataforma” (Carvalho, 2007:27). Por outro lado, não descurando o rol de interrogações de outros investigadores em torno da utilização do MOODLE, nem enveredando pelas visões mais céticas que inclusive pressagiam a sua “morte” (Fernandes, 2008b:134), também nós nos questionamos se esta ferramenta nem sequer vai conseguir transpor “a fase de final de entusiasmo, e tornar-se uma ferramenta de minorias e de usos ocasionais?” (Fernandes, Op. cit.:133).The beginning of Internet and of the Web, in the nineties, along with the introduction and development of new ICT and, as a consequence, the emergence of the Information and Knowledge Society, implied a profound change in the ways o of the teaching and learning processes, not any longer according to a single cognitivist prism, but, now, also social, i.e., according to the constructivist perspective(s). Simultaneously it becomes imperative that , so as to become future success workers, that is, knowledge workers (Gates, 1999), learners have to be effectively educated/prepared for the Information and Knowledge Society and, as much as possible, through lifelong education/training (Moore e Thompson, 1997; Chute, Thompson e Hancock, 1999). However, according to Jorge Reis Lima and Zélia Capitão, one cannot consider this change of paradigm as a revolution but rather as an evolution, or, more precisely yet, a “conciliation of cognitive and social perspectives” (Reis Lima and Capitão, 2003:53). Therefore, it is up to the teaching/training institutions to fulfil the task of preparing students for the new competences of the digital era, promoting “the learning of the principles of knowledge that will sustain the learning throughout life” (Reis Lima and Capitão, Ibidem:54), that is, “learning to know”, “learning to do”, “learning to live in common”, and “Learning to be” (Equipa de Missão para a Sociedade da Informação, 1997:39; bold and underlines in the original). For other, the Internet, affirming itself as an ubiquitous technology, more and more accessible and of high potential, “has been revolutionising the management of information, the functioning of the market of capitals, the chains and networks of value, the world commerce, the relationships between governments and citizens, the modes of working and of communicating, entertainment, the intercultural contact, life styles, the notions of time and distance. The great question at present resides in knowing whether the Internet can provoke fundamental changes in the ways of learning and teaching” (Carneiro, 2002:17-18; highlights in the original). We face, therefore, as Armando Rocha Trindade (2004:10) argues, the recognition that “The compulsory requisites for effective learning to be thus assured are: prior availability of educational or training materials of high pedagogical and didactic quality, as far as possible self sufficient in terms of theoretical and applied content, as well as the provision of mechanisms capable of assuring, permanently, a minimum of interactivity between teachers and learners, whenever any difficulty is manifested”. This issue is also equated by Engineer Arnaldo Santos, from PT Inovação, when he considers that, as it happens in the “majority of countries, distance education in Internet and Intranet environments, generally labelled e-Learning, is presented as a pedagogical alternative in overt expansion. Portugal is awakening for this new reality. There are various national public and private sector institutions that use e-Learning as a tool or means to train their people” (Santos, 2002:26). Fernando Ramos also adds that the systems of education/training that contemplate non face-to-face components “that is, that potentiate spatial flexibility, have been resorting to the most varied technologies of communication to allow interaction amongst participants, namely between teachers and students. A little throughout the world, and also in Portugal, have implanted systems (habitually known as distance learning systems), resorting the most diverse telecommunications technologies, of which the systems of education by TV or the tutoring systems by radio or telephone are well known examples” (Ramos, 2002b:138-139). Now, our study is rooted precisely on the analysis of a system or technological platform for the management of learning (Learning Management System - LMS), MOODLE, seeking, therefore, to find answers for the recognition that “it is urgent to study the real and pedagogical use of the platform” (Carvalho, 2007:27). On the other hand, not setting aside the array of questions from other researchers on the use of MOODLE, nor taking for granted the more sceptical views that include the premonition of its “death” (Fernandes, 2008b:134), we also question whether this tool will be able to overcome “the final phase of enthusiasm, and become a tool of the minorities and of occasional use” (Fernandes, Op. cit.:133)