Assessing Teachers’ Readiness to Implement Blended Teaching in the Classroom

Abstract

The current study aimed at assessing teachers’ readiness to implement Blended Teaching in the classroom. It sought to find out whether teachers of English at the department of English in Mohamed Seddik Ben Yahia University-Jijel perceive Blended Teaching positively and support its integration in their courses. It also aimed at finding out the extent to which the target teachers are well prepared to successfully implement it. Therefore, it was assumed that teachers of English at Mohamed Seddik Ben Yahia University-Jijel do have the required competencies and sub-skills of blending face to face and online instruction, hence, they are ready to implement Blended Teaching successfully. In order to achieve the underlined goals of this study and to confirm or refute this assumption, which was an adaptation of Graham, Borup, Pulham and Larsen’s (2017) “Blended Teaching Readiness Survey” at Brigham Young University, was designed and administered to teachers. To this end, the target sample consisted of 25 teachers of English (both males and females); the sample was selected purposively because of its relevance to the research topic and aims. Data was analysed by using a quantitative approach. The results showed that teachers of English had a positive attitude towards blended instruction; they think that technology-based tasks are more effective than traditional ones, and that such type of instruction would permit them to explore new teaching strategies. It also revealed that teachers are not prepared yet to implement blended techniques in teaching English language. Interestingly, teachers did not master all the competencies required from blended teachers; they lack some competencies and vital sub-skills for an effective implementation of the newly adopted approach. That is why there is a constant need for particular training programmes and continuous professional development.