Improving Learning Achievement in Science Education for Elementary School Students via Blended Learning

Blended learning—which combines online learning with traditional face-to-face classroom instruction—is currently held in high regard. In elementary schools, science and technology education aims to help children use technology tools and to learn how disciplines such as math and science are relevant to engineering. In this study, the authors examined what type of learning profile contributes to higher achievement in science and technology in a blended learning environment. The participants consisted of 106 elementary school students (grades three to six) from two different schools. The authors adapted the Online Technologies Self-Efficacy Scale (OTSES) and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) to measure students' computer skills and learning motivation, respectively, and to understand how the blended learning environment affected their learning achievement. The results were as follows: 1) Computer skills significantly improved for all students except sixth-graders. 2) The blended learning environment had no significant effect on learning motivation. 3) In grades four and five, students in the experimental group improved more in learning achievement than students in the control group, as reflected by their higher MSLQ and OTSES scores.