Effect of blended learning on achievement in English and academic anxiety of secondary school students in relation to self efficacy

Abstract

The present experimental study aimed to investigate the effect of blended learning on achievement in English and academic anxiety of secondary school students in relation to self-efficacy. The study was conducted on the sample of 128 students of class IX from two private schools affiliated to CBSE. For providing blended-learning based instructions to students, a website (https://funlearning.gnomio.com) was developed on a learning management system called Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (MOODLE). In order to assess the learning in English, an achievement test in English was developed and validated by the investigator. The students exposed to blended learning strategy performed better in terms of their reduction in anxiety levels than those exposed to traditional method.The high self-efficacy students also showed significant reduction in their anxiety levels as compared to low-self-efficacy students. The high self-efficacy and low self-efficacy students yielded different mean difference (reduction) scores on academic anxiety when exposed to different instructional strategies, that is, high self-efficacy students taught through blended-learning strategy showed maximum significant reduction in their anxiety levels. Hence, the findings of the study revealed that the blended-learning strategy proved effective in improving academic achievement of students as well as helpful in reduction of their academic anxiety. The importance of this study lies in its practical value and its contribution to the pedagogical body of knowledge in teaching of English. After COVID-19 pandemic, the educational institutions can adopt blended learning in a variety of forms. On the basis of the results of this study, several types of changes and modifications can be introduced in Indian Education System. newline