The First Encounters of Primary School Students and Parents in Blended English Classes

ABSTRACT

This study investigates what blended English learning, the first of its kind at their school, means to primary school students and their parents. It aims to demonstrate how they experience and perceive blended English classes, particularly during their first encounter, in order to conceptualise the most commonly perceived benefits and to challenge the existing theoretical framework, Social Presence Theory. This study was conducted to help shareholders, specifically in a primarylevel English language education context, to exclude or reduce the barriers and maximise the benefits. To this end, a cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and 147 students and 138 parents participated in this study. Data was collected through questionnaires and calculated using the SPSS program. The data showed that primary school students and parents were generally pleased with their blended English class experiences. They found blended English learning experiences to be valuable and enhance their learning, especially in critical periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the face-to-face format is perceived more positively because of the limitations and challenges of blended and online English classes in terms of interactions and social elements. Based on the results, some implications and suggestions for further research are provided.