Blended Learning and the Obstacles to its Implementation

Abstract

The transition to knowledge-based economy requires preparing students to be involved in the global knowledge-producing market, traditional teaching methods are no longer commensurate with the challenges of the 21st century. The teachers’ teaching strategies should focus on student-center approach. The Jordanian Ministry of Education has encouraged the use of blended learning by enabling teachers to use the technology to develop their teaching skills, but the effect of using blended learning and the obstacles that prevent its implementation has not been studied. This study was conducted to investigate the reality of using blended learning in the educational process in Amman and the obstacles that hinder its implementation. The study sample consisted of 92 teachers who completed and returned the questionnaire. The results showed that the use of blended learning was medium (Mean = 3.56, SD = 0.37). The presence of some obstacles such as lack of the Internet access and congestion of classrooms has hindered its full implementation. In light of the results and to assist in the development of the current reality of using blended learning, the authors stated some recommendations at the end of the paper.