Investigating the Institutional Adoption of Blended Learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Courses at Saudi Universities: Challenges and Benefits

The twenty-first century has been defined as the era of technology during which the notion of digital natives has evolved. Even though technology is widely used for teaching and learning worldwide, academic institutions in Saudi Arabia still face challenges and dilemmas in integrating technology into their teaching practices. Since the end of the restrictions due to COVID-19, a blended learning (BL) approach has been adopted by several universities in Saudi Arabia in which undergraduates have equal portions of in-class learning and synchronous online learning on a weekly basis. Hence, Saudi universities have a humble experience and recent history with the BL approach. This research stems from an urgent need to transform EFL teaching and learning practices and enhance the English-learning experience of university students. Thus, this exploratory qualitative research aims to explore the views and attitudes of EFL instructors and undergraduates regarding the impact of the BL approach on their teaching and learning experiences and to investigate factors that might impede or promote its implementation. Through semi-structured interviews with EFL academic teachers and first-year university students at four universities across Saudi Arabia, the study found the underlying complexities of implementing innovative approaches in EFL courses. Despite the existing advantages they have experienced, both teachers and students reported several drawbacks of blended EFL courses, some of which were related to institutional and sociocultural factors. Interestingly, this research study makes significant contributions and offers implications based on the various perspectives and attitudes of the EFL teachers and students.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Wejdan Alamri (21041570)

• TESOL
• EFL
• ELT
• BL approach
• Saudi Higher Education
• Online learning

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved
• Open Access after 2026-12-15

Identifier

10779/exe.32675721.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32675721