Blended Learning, Learning Motivation, and Academic Performance in Undergraduate Science Students

Abstract

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic blended learning (BL) has seen an exponential rise across the globe. Data on the effectiveness of BL have mostly come from developed Western countries which are essentially different from developing countries like Pakistan. This study aims to indigenously explore the relationship between students’ views regarding blended learning (BL) and its effect on their academic achievement, possibly mediated by their learning motivation, in undergraduate science students of Pakistan. The participants included 239 (46.4%) male and 276 (53.4%) female students, aged 19 through 24 (M_age = 20, SD = 3.42), taken from GC University, Lahore, and Punjab University, Lahore.  All the participants reported having a rich experience of BL during the Covid-19 pandemic. Learners’ Views on Blended Learning (BL), and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ) were used to take data from the participants, and their GPAs were taken as their academic achievement. The results indicated that positive views of students’ regarding BL are likely to enhance their learning motivation, whereas BL and learning motivation are likely to enhance their academic achievement. Further, learning motivation is also likely to mediate the relationship between BL and academic achievement. The results are consistent with most studies conducted in the West and support the generalizability and implementation of the Western BL models in the socio-cultural context of Pakistan. However, there is a need for further in-depth Indigenous studies on other aspects of BL before policy making and implementation.