Heliyon 5 (2019) e02424

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Heliyon
journal homepage: www.heliyon.com

The effect of blended learning on the achievement of ninth grade students in

science and their attitudes towards its use
Najeh Rajeh Alsalhi *, Mohd. Elmagzoub Eltahir, Sami Sulieman Al-Qatawneh
College of Humanities and Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This study aimed to investigate the effects of blended learning on ninth grade students' achievement in science
Education and their attitudes towards using it. It compares the results of various ways of teaching science topics, and stu-
Effect dents' attitudes towards their use. The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design case study. The
Attitudes
participants of the study were 112 students, divided into two groups: one an experimental group (n ¼ 61) and the
Blended learning
Achievement
other a control group (n ¼ 51). An achievement test and questionnaire were designed to confirm the study's
Ninth grade validity and reliability. SPSS was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that there were statistically
significant differences between the experimental and the control groups, in favor of the experimental group, and
the experimental group's attitudes were also more positive towards the using of blended learning. Their attitudes
were in favor of students with academic performance in a science subject of the Performance level (Pass). The
study recommends further research into the use of blended learning in higher education institutions.

1. Introduction Research findings have supported the use of technology in teaching, and
the advantage educational institutions like universities and schools stand
Over the present century, the world has witnessed revolution and to gain from the use of technology and the internet (Bøe, 2018). This has
rapid changes in information technology (ICT) and the internet in all promoted a shift from a teacher-centered approach to learning to a more
aspects, particularly in the education sector. This has prompted educa- student-centered one (Bøe, 2018).
tional institutions and experts in curricula to introduce radical changes in
their policy and educational planning to respond and align with this
change and development (Choshin and Ghaffari, 2017; Lim and Morris, 1.1. E-learning (online learning)
2009; Vella- Brodrick and Klein, 2010). Today web applications are
widely used by various stakeholders, including students, trainers, and E-learning has become a popular approach to effective learning
academic staff and ICT staff (Alsabawy et al., 2016; Islam, 2016). within the wider academic community. One consequence of this has been
Furthermore, Aparicio et al. (2017) point out that access to the internet a shift in the focus in education, from teaching itself to learning and
now guarantees access to universal education at the lowest cost, if not for student skills (Kerzic et al., 2018). E-learning has become a popular
free. approach to effective learning within the wider academic community
E-learning refers to the use of advanced information communication because of the extensive use of web systems in learning. There are a range
technology in the learning process, where advanced technology consists of benefits of learning supported by technology, or e-learning. It is largely
of electronic media (Thomas & Graham, 2019). It is a new pattern of flexible, allowing learning to occur at a distance, at a time and pace
education imposed by the new scientific and technical changes taking appropriate to the needs of the students (Allan and Lawless, 2005;
place in the world today due to the inability of traditional teaching Kimathi and Zhang, 2019). Suresh, Priya, and Gayathri (2018) pointed
strategies and teaching methods to keep pace with these changes, given out that updating electronic content is easier than updating printed
the changing role of both teacher and student (Harandi, 2015; Gorbi, material: e-learning technologies allow educators to review their content
2013). According to Zare et al. (2016), e-learning is now considered one quickly and easily. E-learning began in the 1980s and 1990s as
of the most important educational environments in the information age. computer-based courses provided on stand-alone disks. In the late 1990s,
such educational courses came to be hosted on internal networks, and

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (N.R. Alsalhi).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02424
Received 22 January 2019; Received in revised form 13 May 2019; Accepted 2 September 2019
2405-8440/© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).
N.R. Alsalhi et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02424

after that they were put on learning management systems (LMSs) in the in the classroom by employing the virtual classroom. An increasing
late 1990s (Abdullah and Ward, 2016; Hubackova, 2015). E-learning number of schools in the UAE depend on e-learning programs in order to
now refers to anything that is offered, enabled, or mediated by electronic improve the quality of student education. This means that students can
technology for the clear purpose of learning. With the advent of smart- learn better through interaction with the computerized educational
phones and tablets and other devices, e-learning has gained great programs for the topics textbooks, get their homework and activities
popularity in the various countries due to diverse social and economic online, interact with other students and take part in educational discus-
standards and increasing demand for education (Sekhon and Hartley, sions. In October 2018, the UAE Ministry of Education launched a free e-
2014). learning platform. This platform provides free educational multimedia in
Aristovnik et al. (2017) pointed out that e-learning is effective the form of videos, in the Arabic language, in general science, math,
because it removes distance and subsequent changes. This term presently biology, chemistry, and physics. It also provides nearly 11 million words
includes stand-alone computer-based training, online or web-based of educational content to students in all educational stages in UAE
learning, and learning mediated by mobile phones, tablets and other schools (Official Portal of the UAE, 2018).
devices. E-learning is a comprehensive term that describes learning done
on a computer, usually connected to a network, giving students’ oppor- 1.3. Blended learning
tunity to learn anytime, anywhere (Aleksander et al., 2017; Oye et al.,
2010). E-learning also includes learner–learner interactions, such as In the late 1990s, blended learning (or mixed or hybrid learning)
those that may occur in the online learning society (Al-Hariri and emerged as a new teaching method for distance learning through the
Al-Hattami, 2017). On the other hand, some researchers consider application of technology and the internet to improve students' learning
e-learning simply as a form of training to learn and communicate across and encourage teachers’ to change their methods of education, and
computers, networks or other electronic sources (Lin et al., 2017; Roffe, therefore to shift learning to a more student-centered model rather than a
2002; Schank, 2002; Sambrook, 2003). Further, various studies have teacher-centered learning model (Taylor, 1995). There are many defi-
shown the benefits and advantages from the application of e-learning nitions of blended learning, but most have in common that they point to
technologies into schools. Some of these include: e-learning is flexible the combination of virtual and physical environments. In spite of the
when taking the time and place of learning into account as an issue; it multiplicity of blended learning definitions, all emphasize that it is a
enhances the effectiveness of knowledge through easy access to a vast learning strategy that integrates various models of traditional and dis-
amount of information; it is cost-effective because students are not tance learning and uses multiple forms of technology (Akbarov et al.,
required to travel; it takes into account individual differences among 2018; Clark and Mayer, 2003). Volchenkova (2016) pointed out that
students; and the use of e-learning allows self-advancement (Algahtani, blended learning is a form of learning that combines the best of direct
2011; Klein and Ware, 2003; Marc, 2002; Nichols, 2003; Umek et al., classroom learning and learning through the internet by using its appli-
2015). Arkorful and Abaidoo (2016) refer to model for using e-learning cations. Also, blended learning has been defined as a program that uses
in education as shown in Fig. 1. more than one method to communicate information in order to activate
learning outcomes by the interaction between both student and teacher
1.2. E-learning in UAE schools (Clark and Mayer, 2003; Dziuban et al., 2018). Khamis (2003) confirmed
that blended learning is known as an integrated system designed to help
Gone are the traditional classroom days: one teacher, dusty class- students during each stage of their learning by using of traditional
rooms, stifling walls in the classroom, and teacher-centered education. learning with e-learning in its different forms inside the classroom. Ac-
The Federal Government of the UAE has developed a very clear strategy cording to Kavitha and Jaisingh (2018) and Singh (2003), blended
to implement the latest educational techniques to improve teaching and learning is one of the forms of e-learning in which e-learning is integrated
learning methodologies at all levels of schools in the Ministry of Educa- into traditional classroom learning, using a computer, intranet or smart
tion. Schools of the Ministry of Education in the UAE now use technology classroom, where the teacher meets the student face-to-face and inter-
action between students and teachers is built into the course design. It
arose as a natural development of programmed and electronic learning.
From the previous definitions of blended learning, the researchers
identified blended learning as a new learning strategy that blends
traditional learning in its various forms and e-learning in its various
models, in order to increase student motivation and improve their
learning achievement, as shown in Fig. 2.
Additionally, the characteristics of blended learning are summarized
as follows (Driscoll, 2002; Graham, 2006; Whitelock and Jelfs, 2003):

 Blended learning strategy combines different types of internet-based

technology to achieve educational goals.
 The blended learning strategy is a hybrid of traditional methods of
education with technology and the internet.
 Blended learning integrates different teaching methods based on
multiple theories such as Constructivism and Behavioral theory.
 Blended learning is an education program that consists of in-person
classroom time as well as individual study online through e-
learning applied and the internet.

In addition, Susan and Chris (2015) point out that the most salient
benefits of blended learning are: it is more effective in its use of classroom
time, students are more active, students will be more creative, students
are better prepared, it is more interesting for students, and it provides the
possibility of offering many educational resources for students. Further
Fig. 1. Model for using E-learning in education (Arkorful and Abaidoo, 2016). Bersin and Associates (2003) suggest that the best way to implement

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Fig. 2. Meaning of blended learning.

blended learning correctly is to choose the right component or media

package that will deliver the highest efficiency at the lowest possible Table 1
Differences between blended learning and traditional learning.
cost.
Valiathan (2002) identified a number of blended learning models, as Features Traditional learning Blended learning
follows: Application Fixed classrooms and not Any place and flexible
Location flexible
 Skill-driven learning model: This combines self-learning with the Method of Face-to-Face Online and Face-to-Face
Learning
support of a teacher or facilitator to develop specific knowledge and Time of Learning Not Flexible and At Time Flexible and Any Time
skills of students in the classroom. Specific Time
 Attitude-driven model: It mixes different media to improve new at- Usage of Using Technology not Using the technology is necessary
titudes and behaviors for students, prioritizing peer-to-peer interac- Technology mandatory and mandatory
tion and a risk-free environment.
 Competency-driven learning model: This learning model mixes the
multimedia such as video, Encarta encyclopedia, simulation software,
tools of supporting performance with knowledge management re-
and science dry labs may offer advantages over textbooks, especially for
sources and mentoring aiming to improve workplace competencies.
complex scientific topics and difficult concepts that are unfamiliar to
students. Dowling, Godfrey, and Gyles (2003) confirmed that blended
On the other hand, Ross and Gage (2006, p.156) identify three main
learning helps improve learning and teaching, which means students
types of blended learning in institutions of education, as illustrated in
come to prefer blended learning over traditional learning.
Fig. 3.
Several studies have been conducted into using blended learning in
Khan, Shaik, Ali, and Bebi (2012) pointed out the differences between
teaching rather than traditional learning in educational institutions such
traditional learning and blended learning as shown in Table 1.
as universities and schools (Ahmed, 2011; Al-Hasan, 2013; Ali, 2012;
Almasaeid, 2014; Akbarov et al., 2018; Akkoyunlu and Soylu, 2008;
AlQahtani, 2015; Bakeer, 2018; Boyle et al., 2003; Ja'ashan, 2015;
1.4. Student achievement in science and blended learning
Khader, 2016; Maccoun, 2016; Okaz, 2015; Pereira et al., 2007; Shahin,
2008; Vernadakis et al., 2012) confirmed that blended learning was
Extensive studies have been conducted on blended learning and its
found to be more effective than traditional learning in terms of students'
impact on students’ achievement in educational institutions such as
grades and pass rates. On the other hand, studies such as Kazu and
schools and universities. Although the majority of research connected to
Demirkol (2014), Tosun (2015) and Wei et al. (2017) have found no
blended learning has taken place in the post-secondary stage, such as
significant effect through the use of blended learning, finding no statis-
universities, some studies have found that this approach is useful for
tically significant differences between groups taught with blended
school students. According to Chen and Jones (2007), a wide range of
learning techniques and traditional techniques. They therefore conclude
research studies have found that the blended learning approach has
that blended learning does not have a positive impact on students'
positive effects on student achievement, while other studies have indi-
achievement.
cated that blended learning achieves levels of student success equivalent
Hence, the researchers consider it important to explore the impact of
to traditional education. Kagohara et al. (2010) claim that using
modern teaching strategies directly related to technology to support the
achievement of students, especially students in the middle stage, in sci-
ence. Therefore, this study differs from previous studies in that it focused
on ninth grade students in the Ministry of Education schools in the United
Arab Emirates. According to Piaget's theory, this age represents the
Technology- fourth stage of cognitive development, formally denoted as Operational
Blended stage 12–15 years (Ahmad et al., 2016). Therefore, in the ninth grade,
enhanced
Programs students will be at the end of the intermediate stage in the UAE, which
courses means that they are at the fourth and final stage of cognitive develop-
ment, in Piaget's scheme. This is a very critical stage because thinking
becomes much more sophisticated and advanced. Students can think
Hybrid about abstract and scientific concepts and can use logic to come up with
Courses or creative solutions to problems, and they begin to develop skills like
reduced logical thought and deductive reasoning.

face- me
1.5. Study purpose
courses
The study was conducted with the purpose of examining the effect of
teaching science using blended learning on the achievement and atti-
Fig. 3. Main Types of Blended Learning in Institutions of Education (Ross and tudes of ninth grade students in the intermediate stage, United Arab
Gage, 2006, p.156, p.156). Emirates. The researchers chose the ninth grade because, according to

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Piaget's theory, this age represents the fourth stage of cognitive devel-  There are no significant differences in the attitudes of the two groups to-
opment, formally referred to as the operational stage 12–15 years wards the use of blended learning, attributable to the variables student's
(Ahmad et al., 2016). The students in the ninth grade in the UAE will be gender and student academic performance in science subject.
at the end of the intermediate stage, which means they are in the fourth
and final stage of cognitive development, in Piaget's scheme. 1.9. Study terms

 Effect: Nair and Bindu (2016) point out that the effect is the change
1.6. The significance of the study that results when something happens: an event, situation, or situation
resulting from a particular cause.
The importance of the study can be characterized as in the following  Blended learning: learning which is facilitated by the effective com-
points: bination of different delivery methods, learning models and learning
methods, based on transparent communication (Heinze and Procter,
 Provide science planners and experts with a modern strategy to teach 2004). Further, blended learning is also defined as a strategy that
science, and employ them in the planning and development of science integrates two different education models, distance learning and
curricula. traditional learning (Bonk and Graham, 2006).
 Address the scarcity of educational research in science teaching that  Achievement: Khader (2016) defined achievement as the result of what
deals with similar problems. students learned directly after the end of the educational topics (or
 Develop teaching methods for science teachers using modern teach- units or textbooks). The learning is measure by achievement tests.
ing strategies, such as blended learning, to substitute for traditional  Attitudes: Defined by Christo-Baker (2004) as the negative or positive
methods that are still common in teaching. feeling towards a state or a fact. Attitude is also defined by Ajzan
 Develop the ability of ninth grade students in the intermediate stage (1988, p.4) as “a disposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to
to understand the topics of science by integration of technology with an object, person, institution, or event.”
traditional learning.
 Encourage science teachers to employ blended learning during the 2. Methods
teaching process to improve the quality of education.
 Provide recommendations to curriculum developers as well as those 2.1. Study approach
who are interested in science education on the use of modern stra-
tegies in science teaching. The quasi-experimental approach was used due to its suitability to the
purposes of the study and its ability to achieve its aims by using the post-
1.7. Study problem and questions achievement test for the experimental and control groups. Fig. 4 illus-
trates the experimental design of the study:
Blended learning is an important method in education in this century In the control group, the students were taught the topics of unit 2
generally, and particularly in science branch subjects such as science, (Motion) of the grade nine science textbook using direct teaching
physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and environment. Nevertheless, (traditional teaching). The experimental group were taught the same
there is a lack of studies that deal with the reality of the use of blended material using blended learning. The material was taught during the
learning in the teaching of natural sciences. In addition, the Ministry of second semester of the academic year of 2017/2018. The teaching topics
Education in the UAE has an interest in the importance of teachers using in the unit taught during the research are detailed in Table 2:
modern methods of education that have a direct relationship with tech-
nology, such as blended learning. 2.2. Research participants
The study problem is the urgent need of the educational sectors to
study the fact of the application of blended learning in the teaching of The sample consisted of 116 ninth grade students, divided into two
science, and its impact on student achievement. groups: the experimental group consisted of 61 students and the control
Thus, this study poses the following primary research questions, group consisted of 51 students. Table 3 shows the demographic infor-
which aim to clarify the effect of the use of blended learning in science mation on participants and Table 4 shows the variables for the experi-
teaching to improve student achievement: mental group, which are students' gender and students’ academic
RQ1. What is the effect of using blended learning in improving stu- performance in the science subject at the end of first semester of the
dents’ achievement in science for the ninth grade at the intermediate academic year 2017/2018.
stage?
RQ2. What are the attitudes of students in the experimental group 2.3. Study variables
towards using blended learning in teaching science?
RQ3. Do attitudes towards the use of blended learning of students in  Independent variables, which are the two teaching methods:
the experimental group vary according to the students’ gender and stu- a) Blended learning strategy
dent academic performance in science subject? b) Traditional method
c) Pre-test (before intervention)
d) Post-test (after intervention)
1.8. Study hypotheses e) Variables of students in the experimental group (gender, academic
performance in science subject).
The researcher formulated the following null hypotheses:  Dependent variables: the science achievement scores of students of
study groups measured on two occasions (pre-test & post-test) and
 There were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores responses of the experimental group on their attitudes toward
of the experimental group, who used blended learning in their studies, and learning science using blended learning.
the mean scores of students in the control group, who used traditional
learning, in the post-achievement test. 2.4. Study tools
 There are no significant differences in attitudes among students in the
experimental group towards the use of blended learning in science teaching Study tools were derived from the researcher's own devising, and
before and after the application of it. review of previous studies and literature related to the subject of the

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Fig. 4. Experimental design of the study (Designed by researchers).

Table 2
The teaching topics in the unit Motion. and Acceleration. The material is loaded as the content is presented in
Name of the unit Topics Pages face-to-face instructions.
Motion Lesson 1: Description of Motion 204–212  The PowerPoint presentations used in the classroom, illustration an-
Lesson 2 Velocity and Momentum 213–222 imations, and other relevant video clips were also uploaded using the
Lesson 3: Acceleration 223–235 provision ‘upload’. At the same time, lectures, explanations, and ex-
periments were conducted in the classroom according to the content
request.
Table 3  Students were also directed to watch the uploaded video on the
Demographic information on participants. webpage, and a critical review of the video was posted by students
Group N Level Learning method who were very active.
 For example, students were asked to go through the Motion unit on
Experimental 61 Intermediate Blended Learning
Control 51 Intermediate Traditional Learning
the platform and the web links available on the webpage to study how
Total 112 to calculate the acceleration from Velocity-time graphs. This allowed
additional discussions to be held and ideas to be raised by students in
the classroom (see Fig. 5).
 In addition, students interacted with the researcher online on various
Table 4
Variables of students in the experimental group. issues relating to the topic of Motion to get more clarity.
 Computerized educational program topics were designed and devel-
Study variables Variable levels Frequency Percentage
oped to adhere to the following structure:
(f) (%)
a) Recall previous knowledge of the new lesson.
Gender Male 31 50.8
b) View educational objectives and outcomes of the new lesson.
Female 30 49.2
Total 61 100% c) Teacher presents activity and allows students to work with him.
1st Semester academic Excellent (A) 11 18.03 d) Independence is represented by students carrying out educational
performance in science 90–100 tasks on their own, through their use of blended learning during
subject Very good (B) 19 31.15 the performance of the activities.
80–89
Good (C) 16 26.23
e) The process includes interaction between teacher and students,
70–79 and motivation of students by teacher.
Pass (D) 60–69 12 19.67 f) The lesson also includes worksheets and activities that will be used
Fail (F) < 60 3 4.92 by students to give the answers related to activities.
Total 61 100%

2.4.2. Achievement test

The researchers prepared an achievement test to measure the effec-
research (Ahmed, 2011; Maccoun, 2016; Al-Hasan, 2013). tiveness of blended learning in improving students’ results in science.
The test in its final form consisted of 20 multiple-choice questions. Each
2.4.1. Educational material item of the questions was given one mark for the correct answer and zero
for the wrong answer; the maximum mark of the test was 20 and the
 The teacher took an active part in preparing the computerized testing time was 45 min.
educational program for the topics of unit 2 (Motion) and the activ-
ities incorporated within it to use blended learning in teaching the  Validity of Achievement Test
experimental group.
 Online science learning was facilitated by using the online learning The research tool was confirmed by the virtual validity method for the
platform, such as the site of https://www.talentlms.com test by presenting it in its initial form with a list of behavioral objectives,
 A webpage was created by the researchers (https://najehscience. to ten members of the teaching staff of universities, all of whom were
talentlms.com/index) through which activities were implemented doctorate and master's degree holders in curricula and methods of
online, and which provided content about main topics and subtopics teaching science, and education of technology. The content was adjusted
of the unit, such as Description of Motion, Average Speed, Momentum according to their recommendations.

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Fig. 5. The Motion unit platform in the ninth grade science textbook.

 Reliability of Achievement Test achievement in science, the researchers used a t-test to compare the two
groups’ results in the pre-test on the topics of the science textbook unit,
The researchers verified the reliability of the achievement test by before applying the blended learning. Results are shown in Tables 6 and
using the test-retest method. The test was applied to a sample not 7:
included in the sample of the study, and two weeks after the test was re- As shown in Table 7, since the obtained p (.106) is greater than 0.05,
applied to the same sample of ninth grade students. After that, the the test is not significant at the 0.05 level, which indicates that there is no
Pearson correlation coefficient between the two applications was calcu- significant difference between the two groups of the study (experimental
lated. The total reliability coefficient of 0.88 was considered appropriate group and control group). This revealed that the experimental and con-
for the purposes of this study. trol groups were equivalent before the study could be applied.

2.4.3. Questionnaire (attitudes towards the blended learning) 2.6. Procedures

The questionnaire was designed and used to collect data from 61
students of the experimental group about their attitudes toward using  Prepare lesson plans using blended learning in science teaching.
blended learning in teaching science. It consisted of 20 item focusing on  Prepare computerized educational program for the subjects of the
the purpose of the study. The researchers used closed-ended Likert scale Motion unit and its activities to use blended learning in the teaching
statements for responses to questionnaire items. To test validity and reli- the experimental group.
ability, the questionnaire was given to experts from various universities,  The two researchers trained the science teacher on how to use
who then provided written feedback, in response to which the researchers blended learning in science teaching.
modified some items to fulfill the purpose of the study. The reliability of  The two researchers taught students how to deal with the relevant
the questionnaire was also determined using Cronbach's Alpha. The value technological items required for the blended learning.
was 0.91, which indicated a high level of internal consistency.  The achievement test was prepared according to the students' level,
the required material, and the educational objectives in the science
 Data Analysis Measures textbook for ninth grade.
 Obtaining the consent of, and coordinating with the administration of
A five-dimensional Likert scale is adopted as follows: very high (5), Al-Hikmah private school to conduct study and implementation of the
high (4), moderate (3), small (2) and very little (1), as shown in Table 5 experimental group lessons through blended learning and imple-
with the options used to evaluate counting periods. mentation of the control group in the traditional method.
 The study participants were divided into two groups: the experi-
2.5. Pre-test mental group consisting of 58 students, who were taught through
blended learning, and the control group, consisting of 58 students
In order to compare the two groups in the study in terms of who were taught in the traditional method.

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 The implementation for both the experimental group and the control Table 6
group involved a period of six weeks, with four periods of 45 min each Means and standard deviations of pre-test scores for two groups.
per week. Group N Mean Std. deviation
 The following test (post-test) was applied to the two groups (experi-
Experimental 61 14.82 1.76
mental and control), in order to measure the improvement of students Control 51 14.29 1.63
in the experimental group immediately after completing the educa-
tional aspects of the material.
 The results were collected and analyzed statistically.
Table 7
T-test results of pre-test between the experimental and the control groups.
2.7. Statistical treatment
Levene's test t-test
for equality of
The researchers used the SPSS program to answer the research variances
questions. Through calculating the arithmetic means and standard de- F Sig. t df Sig. (2- Mean
viations, an independent sample t-test was used to measure the statistical tailed) difference
differences in means between the experimental and the control groups in Equal variances 2.031 .157 1. 110 .106 .52555
the results of the post-test. In addition, paired samples t-test was used to assumed 630
compare the experimental group's pre-application and post-application Equal variances 1.641 108.791 .104 .52555
scores for the blended learning attitudes scale. not assumed

* Statistically significant at (p 0.05 ).

2.8. Ethical considerations
In order to answer the second question, the following null hypothesis
This study was approved by Research Ethics Committee/Deanship of was tested.
Graduate Studies and Research of Ajman University (Reference Number: There are no significant differences in attitudes among students in the
F - H - 1 8 - 1 - 0 1) experimental group towards the use of blended learning in science
teaching before and after the application of it.
3. Results To determine whether there is a difference in the experimental
group's attitudes towards the use of blended learning in science before
3.1. Findings related to RQ1 and after application, paired samples t-test was applied to the pre-
application and post-application scores of the blended learning attitude
The question was: What is the effect of using blended learning in scale. The results obtained are shown in Table 10 below.
improving students’ achievement in science for the ninth grade at the According to the results shown in Table 11, it is seen that there was a
intermediate stage? significant difference (t (60) ¼ 4.666, p < .05) between the experimental
In order to answer the first question of this study, the following null group students’ post-application mean (3.58) and their pre-application
hypothesis was tested: mean (2.93). This means the null hypothesis is rejected.
There were no statistically significant differences between the mean Based on this finding, it can be confirmed that the experimental group
scores of the experimental group, who used blended learning in their developed a more positive attitude towards the use of blended learning in
studies, and the mean scores of students in the control group, who used science after they had experience its application.
traditional learning, in the post-achievement test.
In order to verify the hypothesis, the difference between the mean
3.3. Findings related to RQ3
scores of students in the experimental group and the control group in the
post-test was calculated using the t-test for two independent samples. The
The question was: Do attitudes towards the use of blended learning of
results are shown in Table 8.
students in the experimental group vary according to the students’
As shown in Table 9, since the obtained p-value (0.000) is smaller
gender and student academic performance in science subject?
than 0.05, this means there are significant differences at the significance
In order to answer the third question, the following null hypothesis
level of 0.05, which indicates that there is significant difference between
was tested:
the two groups of learners with regard to their understanding and
There are no significant differences in the attitudes of the two groups
knowledge of the science topics covered after 6 weeks. This means the
towards the use of blended learning, attributable to the variables stu-
null hypothesis is rejected. Based on the test results, it can be inferred
dent's gender and student academic performance in science subject.
that teaching the students’ the Motion topic unit in the science textbook
We calculated the mean scores and standard deviations to answer the
through blended learning had a positive effect on the science test scores
study's third research question. The independent t-test and variance test
of intermediate school students.
were conducted to find out the significance of differences between av-
erages. We carried out one-way ANOVA testing to discover the signifi-
3.2. Findings related to RQ2 cance of any differences between the averages. An LSD test, for post-hoc
comparisons, was also conducted to find the significance of differences
The question was: What are the attitudes of students in the experi- between means. The results related to the responses to questions about
mental group towards using blended learning in teaching science?. the study subjects and are detailed below, according to the study
variables.
Table 5
The evaluation of scale data based on the options of scale and score intervals. 3.3.1. First: student gender
Options Scores Score intervals The independent sample test (T) was used to find out the significance
Very high 5 4.21–5.00 of the differences between averages towards the use of blended learning
High 4 3.41–4.20 from the perspective of students, according to gender (see Table 12).
Moderate 3 2.61–3.40 The results reported in Table 12 indicate that the obtained p (0.271) is
Little 2 1.81–2.60 less than 0.05. Therefore, the test is not significant at the 0.05 level,
Very little 1 1.00–1.80
which indicates that there is no significant difference in attitude to

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N.R. Alsalhi et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02424

Table 8 Table 11
Means and standard deviations of post-test scores for two groups. Comparison of experimental group students’ pre-application and post-
Group N Mean Std. deviation
application scores of the blended learning attitude scale via the paired samples
t-test.
Experimental 61 16.11 1.67
Control 51 14.12 1.60 Experimental N Mean Std. t df Sig. (2-
group deviation tailed)
As displayed in Table 8, the students who were taught with blended learning had
Post-application 61 3.58 1.11871 4.666 60 0.000
different scores (M ¼ 16.11, SD ¼ 1.67) to those who were taught through
Pre-application 61 2.93 .84081
traditional, face-to-face teaching (M ¼ 14.12, SD ¼ 1.60).
* Statistically significant at (p 0.05 ).

Table 9 achievements of students (compared to traditional learning) (Ahmed,

The independent sample t-test results of post-test. 2011; Al-Hasan, 2013; Ali, 2012; Almasaeid, 2014; AlQahtani, 2015;
Levene's test t-test Bakeer, 2018; Dowling et al., 2003; Kagohara et al., 2010; Khader, 2016;
for equality of Maccoun, 2016; Okaz, 2015; Pereira et al., 2007; Shahin, 2008; Verna-
variances
dakis et al., 2012). However, the results of this study did not agree with
F Sig. t df Sig. (2- Mean the results of other studies, which found that the use of blended learning
tailed) difference
had no significant effect (Kazu and Demirkol, 2014; Lin et al., 2017;
Equal 0.347 0.557 6.422 110 0.000 1.99711 Tosun, 2015; Wei et al., 2017).
variances The second research question concerned the attitudes of students of
assumed
the experimental group towards the use of blended learning. To answer
Equal 6.450 108.094 0.000 1.99711
variances not this question, the null hypothesis was tested.
assumed Firstly, we postulated that there would be no statistically significant
differences between the mean scores of the experimental group, and
* Statistically significant at (p 0.05 ).
those of the students in the control group, in the post-achievement test.
We applied a scaled questionnaire to the students in the experimental
blended learning according to the variable of gender among students in
group before they began using the blended learning (pre-application) and
the experimental group.
re-applied it again, after 6 weeks of training (post-application). We
applied a paired samples t-test to the pre- and post-application scores of
3.3.2. Second: student academic performance in science subject
the blended learning attitude scale.
Concerning the variable of student academic performance in science
The results shown in Tables 10 and 11 show that the average of pre-
subject, Table 13 shows the results of the one-way ANOVA test of their
and post-applications was 3.58, compared to the pre-application scale
responses for this variable.
(where the average was 2.93). Additionally, there was a significant dif-
The results reported in Table 13 indicate that there are statistically
ference (t (60) ¼ 4.666, p < .05) between the experimental group stu-
significant differences in students' perspectives according to the variable
dents' post-application mean (3.83) and their pre-application mean
student academic performance in science subject, at the level of 0.026,
(2.54). The null hypothesis was therefore rejected and our results
which is lower than the required statistical significance level (0.05).
confirmed that the experimental group's attitudes towards the use of
To determine the source of the differences, an LSD test was used for
blended learning showed a statistically significant improvement after the
the following comparisons, and the results are shown in Table 14 below.
application of the approach. This finding is consistent with prior studies
(Akbarov et al., 2018; AlAbdulkarim and Albarrak, 2015; Akkoyunlu and
4. Discussion
Soylu, 2008; Almasaeid, 2014; Ja'ashan, 2015). Conversely, the study's
results contradict some other earlier studies, whose results found no
The obtained results concerning the first research question, regarding
significant differences in attitudes towards the use of blended learning
the effect of the use of blended learning in improving students’
among students (Hinkhouse, 2013; Kazu and Demirkol, 2014; Tosun,
achievement in science subject for the ninth grade, indicated that there
2015; Wei et al., 2017).
was a significant difference between students of the experimental and the
The third research question focused on determining whether the at-
control groups, in favor of the students in the experimental group. If we
titudes of students of the experimental group towards the use of blended
examine the results shown in Table 8, we find that the average of post-
learning varied according to two elements: student's gender and aca-
test scores for students in the experimental group is 16.11, compared
demic performance in a science subject. To answer this question, we
to 14.12 for the control group. This means we can conclude that blended
postulated a null hypothesis that there would be no significant difference
learning has a positive impact on the achievement of students of the
in the attitudes of students of the experimental group toward the use of
experimental group when compared to the traditional learning of the
blended learning, attributed to a variable of student gender and academic
students of the control group. Also, the results showed that, as demon-
performance in a science subject. The results reported as shown in
strated in Table 9, there are significant differences at the level of sig-
Table 12 show that there is no significant difference in attitudes towards
nificance of 0.05 (p ¼ 0.000), which indicates that there is a significant
the use of blended learning from the perspective of students in the
difference between the two groups of learners with regard to their un-
experimental group according to the variable gender, where the p
derstanding of the topics being taught.
(0.271) value is less than 0.05. Our results in Tables 13 and 14 implies
The finding is consistent with several earlier studies that also
that the attitudes of the students of the experimental group did vary
confirmed blended learning's increased positive effect on the

Table 12
Table 10 Means and SD of the students’ responses according to gender variable.
Means and standard deviations of pre-application and post-application for
Gender N Mean Std. T. Sig. Sig. level
experimental group on attitudes scale towards using blended learning. deviation value (tailed)
Experimental group N Mean Std. deviation
Female 30 3.933 0.7397 1.044 0.301 Not
Post-application 61 3.58 1.11871 Male 31 3.710 0.9199 Significant
Pre-application 61 2.93 .84081
* Statistically significant at (P 0.05 ).

8
N.R. Alsalhi et al. Heliyon 5 (2019) e02424

Table 13
One-way ANOVA test for variable student academic performance in science subject.
Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. (tailed) Sig. level

Student Academic Performance in Science Subject Between Groups 7.524 4 1.881 3.054 0.024* Significant
Within Groups 34.493 56 .616
Total 42.016 60

* Statistically significant at (p < 0.05).

Table 14 2016; Maccoun, 2016; Okaz, 2015; Pereira et al., 2007; Shahin, 2008;
Additional LSD test results concerning the variable student academic perfor- Vernadakis et al., 2012).
mance in science subject. This study is important because it shows that blended learning is
(I) Academic score (J) Academic score Mean difference (I-J) Sig. effective in education, especially in higher education. This means edu-
cation can be more effective if the advantages of a web environment are
Excellent very good -.73206-* .017
good -.76989-* .015 blended with face-to-face interaction in courses that contain more visual
pass -.94697-* .005 elements. In light of the results, the study provides recommendations. On
fail -1.36364-* .010 recommendation is to encourage teachers to employ the blend between
Very good excellent .73206* .017 the technology and direct teaching through the use of blended learning.
good -.03783 .888
pass -.21491 .461
The activities in science textbooks should be adapted and designed ac-
fail -.63158 .201 cording to blended learning. This can be done by applying similar studies
Good excellent .76989* .015 that reflect the views and experiences of learning practitioners' blended
very good .03783 .888 learning into science teaching, and improving teacher's abilities in
pass -.17708 .557
teaching science by holding training courses to motivate the use of
fail -.59375 .234
Pass excellent .94697* .005 modern and innovative strategies such as blended learning.
very good .21491 .461
good .17708 .557 Declarations
fail -.41667 .414
Fail excellent -1.36364* .010
very good .63158 .201 Author contribution statement
good .59375 .234
pass .41667 .414 Najeh Rajeh Alsalhi: Conceived and designed the experiments; Per-
The results in Table 14 confirm that the source of the differences in the students' formed the experiments; Wrote the paper.
perspectives in terms of the variable student academic performance in science Mohd. Elmagzoub Eltahir: Analyzed and interpreted the data;
subject was in favor of the performance level (pass). Contributed reagents, materials, analysis tools or data.
* This means that there is statistical significance. Sami Sulieman Al-Qatawneh: Contributed reagents, materials, anal-
ysis tools or data; Wrote the paper.

according to student academic performance in a science subject, in favor

Funding statement
of the performance level (pass).

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies
5. Conclusion
in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Education in the United Arab Emirates is witnessing rapid positive

changes and developments in all areas, in way that reflect broader life in Competing interest statement
the UAE. The UAE Ministry of Education is trying to use modern methods
of education and technology to teach students in its public and private The authors declare no conflict of interest.
schools, and encourages its teachers to develop their teaching skills in
order to increase the educational attainment of the students. The aim of Additional information
this study was to determine the effect of blended learning on ninth grade
students’ achievement in science and their attitudes towards using it. No additional information is available for this paper.
The results of this study show that the application of blended learning
had a positive impact on students' achievement. There was a statistically References
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