The Effect Of Online Learning Time Investment on Learning Effectiveness in Blended Learning

Abstract

By collecting a total of 339 undergraduate students’ personal background information and online learning data of English majors at the researcher’s university within the past five years, this study analyzed the effect of online learning time investment on learning outcomes via a linear regression model via STATA17 software. The results show that the duration of online learning (DUROL) has a significant effect (P>|t|=0.000<0.05) on learning effectiveness. There is a gender difference in the impact of student online learning time investment on learning effectiveness, and the effect on boys is significantly greater than that on girls. In addition, the duration of online learning, gender (GEN) and college entrance examination (SCEE) scores have a significant effect on learning effectiveness, with the order of effect size being as follows: score of college entrance examination (SCEE)>duration of online learning (DUROL)>gender (GEN). The findings of this study suggest that in the blended learning mode, it is necessary to further establish a student-centered teaching approach and encourage students to increase their classroom participation; pay close attention to gender differences; help minority genders (i.e., males) in foreign language majors master learning strategies to improve learning effectiveness; help students reset clear and reasonable goals; and help them realize that learning investment is directly proportional to learning effectiveness. Only with much effort can there be substantial returns.

Keywords: blended learning, learning investment, learning effectiveness, linear regression, interaction effect