Pre-Service Language Teachers’ Reflections on the Implementation of a Blended-Learning Environment

Abstract

The study investigated pre-service language teachers’ reflections about a 20-week blended-learning environment. An online social presence training developed by Hauck and Warnecke (2012) was introduced to the face-to-face practicum course during the fall term and the pre-service teachers were immersed in an online learning environment where they can practice their newly acquired skills during the spring term. The course was also a combination of pedagogical and technical training as the pre-service teachers not only learned how to use different tools to participate online, but also experienced using them for teaching and learning purposes whilst constantly reflecting on their practice. The design of this study was a descriptive case study. 42 pre-service language teachers participated in this study during the fall semester and 25 during the spring semester of 2012-2013 academic year. Canvas was used as the learning management system in which the participants created audio/visual or written introductions and weekly discussions on the discussion board. The data collection included online forum participations and journal entries per participant at certain intervals throughout the course to obtain participants’ ongoing reflections about the course. The results obtained from an analysis of the participants’ journal and forum entries indicated that social presence training enhanced their awareness towards the active use of the online platform; however, the design of the task affected the level of motivation and communication among the preservice language teachers. The discussion emphasizes the significance of the interrelationship between task design and the maintenance of participation in a blended-learning environment