El impacto del uso de las aulas híbridas en la educación

 

The impact of the use of hybrid classrooms in education

 

O impacto do uso de salas de aula híbridas na educação

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Correspondencia: storresa@tecnologicoargos.edu.ec

 

 

Ciencias de la Educación               

Artículo de Investigación    

 

  

*Recibido: 25 de febrero de 2022 *Aceptado: 10 de marzo 2022 * Publicado: 26 abril de 2022

 

        I.            Magister en Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeros Mención en Enseñanza de Inglés, Licenciada en Ciencias de la Educación Mención Lengua Inglesa y Lingüística, Instituto Superior Tecnológico Argos, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

     II.            Magister en Diseño y Evaluación de Modelos Educativos, Diploma Superior en Pedagogía de la Educación Técnica y Profesional, Ingeniero en Gestión Empresarial Internacional, Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena, La Libertad, Ecuador.

 

Resumen

Con la llegada del covid-19 como pandemia en todo el mundo, trajo consigo muchos cambios en las actividades diarias de las personas, dentro de ellas también se vio afectada el ámbito de la educación, en donde fue necesario la implementación de nuevos métodos para impartir clases, dado a que no se podía tener contacto a más de dos metros de distancia en espacios públicos.

Actualmente con los protocolos de bioseguridad y la reducción de contagios del virus y sus otras variantes ya son posible las clases presenciales casi de manera recurrente con aforos menos reducidos.

Es por ello que, este estudio hace una revisión a la propuesta de conservar el método de las aulas híbridas para poder continuar y mejorar el aprendizaje del inglés, dado presentaría un gran apoyo metodológico a la educación convencional superior. Las aulas híbridas terminan siendo de gran ventaja para los docentes, puesto a que se puede reforzar las clases con contenido digital, creando más dinamismo en el proceso de aprendizaje.

Palabras clave: aula híbrida; aprendizaje; contenidos digitales; aula virtual.

 

Abstract

With the arrival of covid-19 as a pandemic worldwide, it brought many changes in the daily activities of people, among them was also affected the field of education, where it was necessary to implement new methods to teach classes, since it was not possible to have contact more than two meters away in public spaces.

Nowadays, with the biosecurity protocols and the reduction of virus contagion and its other variants. It is now possible to hold face-to-face classes almost on a recurrent basis with less reduced seating capacity.

For this reason, this study reviews the proposal to keep the hybrid classroom method in order to continue and improve the learning of English, given that it would present a great methodological support to conventional higher education. Hybrid classrooms end up being of great advantage for teachers, since they can reinforce classes with digital content, creating more dynamism in the learning process.

Keywords: hybrid classroom; learning; digital content; virtual classroom.

 

 

Resumo

Com a chegada do covid-19 como pandemia mundial, trouxe muitas mudanças no cotidiano das pessoas, dentre elas também foi afetado o campo da educação, onde foi necessário implementar novos métodos para ministrar aulas, pois não era possível ter contato a mais de dois metros de distância em espaços públicos.

Atualmente, com os protocolos de biossegurança e a redução do contágio do vírus e suas outras variantes. Agora é possível realizar aulas presenciais quase de forma recorrente com capacidade de assentos menos reduzida.

Por isso, este estudo revisa a proposta de manter o método de sala de aula híbrida para dar continuidade e melhorar o aprendizado da língua inglesa, visto que apresentaria um grande suporte metodológico ao ensino superior convencional. As salas de aula híbridas acabam sendo um grande diferencial para os professores, pois podem reforçar as aulas com conteúdo digital, criando mais dinamismo no processo de aprendizagem.

Palavras-chave: sala de aula híbrida; Aprendendo; conteúdo digital; aula virtual.

 

Introducción

Higher education has always sought to improve the conditions of academic methodologies, given that it seeks to better promote the knowledge of students who are prosperous to be professionals. And despite the changes it has had to face with the arrival of Covid-19 and the implementation of online classes, a new modality is presented to reinforce, support and contribute to improve the learning of English in higher education with hybrid classrooms.

These classrooms present significant advantages to new learning strategies, which is why this research refers to how hybrid classrooms can help improve the learning of English in higher education students. And for this, students from the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador in Guayaquil were taken as a sample, where they show interest in wanting to learn the English language.

This research is formed by defining the research problem; the objectives; the formulation of hypotheses;. It also has four chapters, in which the literature review of the research, the materials and methods used for data collection, the analysis of the results obtained through the surveys applied to the sample population, and finally the conclusion and recommendation of the research will be developed.

With the arrival of the pandemic caused by Covid-19, new academic methodologies had to be implemented at the educational levels in order to continue with the educational processes. Among these new methodologies implemented was technology, as stated by Pedró (2020) "The first reason is of a technological nature, since the solution adopted assumes that both students and teachers have the required equipment and connectivity".

The consequences of Covid-19 caused the government and other agencies such as education to employ new strategies. Thus, Portillo et al. (2020) "... where teachers in the various high school subsystems and universities have had to redesign and adapt the contents planned for the virtual transition".

Of the various contents that have been implemented to advance virtual education, it is considerable that despite the return to face-to-face classes, the use of hybrid classrooms continues as a support methodology to improve the learning of English as a second language.

Hybrid classrooms have already existed for some years, however their globalized recognition has been given by their implementation in Covid-19 seasons. On the other hand, Quelal (2021) indicates that a hybrid classroom "is one in which elements, strategies and techniques of both face-to-face and virtuality are combined simultaneously". As a result of the physical-presential and physical-virtual incorporation, it contributes to a better relationship between teacher-student-student, where different methods of educational interaction can be created.

It should still be noted that hybrid teaching is the integration of two forms of learning developed independently: face-to-face teaching, which has mainly used ICT as a documentary repository, and online teaching, which does not have the benefits of the face-to-face classroom. (Sousa et al., 2021).

Hybrid education is currently conceived as more than the mere result of a mixture of teaching methods and face-to-face and virtual forms of management. Beyond this symbiosis, it is seen as a pedagogical model that is not fragmented between face-to- face and virtual components and as the most suitable in the context of the current digital disruption to achieve greater coverage and quality. (La República, 2020) quoted by (Torres, 2021)

UNESCO indicates that it is important that a review of current regulatory frameworks and policies be made to ensure structural measures that understand education as a continuum where educational trajectories should be strengthened from early childhood to higher education and beyond, thus minimizing the fragility of the most vulnerable students reaching higher education. (Giannin, 2020)

And as education has become virtual today, it gives students, especially higher education students, the opportunity to have access to technological resources and the means for on-line connectivity.

Hybrid classrooms create a constructivist learning environment, since students develop different methods for learning something new. Among the characteristics of the constructivist learning relationship of hybrid classrooms, Gómez (2010) presents the following:

●  Constructivist learning environments provide multiple representations of reality.

●  Constructivist learning environments emphasize authentic tasks in a meaningful context rather than abstract instruction out of context.

●  Constructivist learning environments provide learning environments as real-world settings rather than predetermined instructional sequences.

●  Constructivist learning environments promote and motivate reflection on the experience.

Learning English in virtual mode creates advantages for students, because they can do their work and even present their evaluative tests with interactive programs that support the development of their skills and language skills. Then we can indicate that hybrid classrooms have some tools such as Zoom, Google Hangout in Gmail, Skype and Adobe Connect, which offer the option to organize virtual meetings and to share our camera and screen with any content we decide to share, such as virtual whiteboards so we can write down important concepts as if it were in a physical, traditional classroom. It should be noted that within these programs we can also create work groups for students to interact collectively with their peers. Putting grammar into practice with communicative activities, virtual classrooms have come a long way and can also be recorded and shared. (Honeycutt & Sears, 2020)

Being the student in front of a hybrid classroom with study topics will create independence and autonomy students at the time of questioning what they have been able to learn online, giving rise to a space for debate and dialogue of knowledge before their teacher and peers. This methodology, as indicated by Mejía et al. (2017) "... creates open spaces for critical thinking. People come to contemplate the issues of virtual classes and deepen this knowledge with their teachers with important questions...". Within that learning space, B-learning can be applied, which is an expression (blended learning) that refers to the combination of face-to-face training (with teachers in a classroom) with online education (activities on the Internet or digital media). B-learning is therefore a hybrid system of learning in which these two modalities are mixed (Gamelearn, 2017) cited by. (Infante, 2018)

 

Material and methods

Territorial context

The higher education institution taken for the sample of this research

corresponds to the fourth semester of the Faculty of Agricultural Economics of the Agrarian University of Ecuador in Guayaquil. This is a sample of selected population, in which 53 students between male and female gender participate, from the academic period October 2021 - February 2022. These students are interested in new educational methods, such as the implementation of hybrid classrooms.

Research Type and Design

The method that this project will use to carry out this project will be an experimental research design because it allows to collect data and thus make the study and analysis of them, contributing with the presence of relevant findings for the research.

This research presents a descriptive type of development, due to the fact that with this method it is possible to analyze the results according to the different first results obtained in the research. In addition, the descriptive method will allow to detail the studied phenomena in a deeper way.

This research will also use an explanatory method because it will focus on a cause and effect relationship between the implementation of hybrid classrooms as a methodological learning strategy in the subject of English and the human and pedagogical resources of the university in sample. In addition, all data analysis and graphical results will be obtained in this research using Excel statistical software

The study population in this research corresponds to fifty-three students of the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador, in addition to them there is also the participation of an English teacher corresponding to the course and the school principal. This population will take into account the different characteristics of those studied in the research.

 

 

 

 

 

Table 1. Description of the sample

Source: Agrarian University of Ecuador in Guayaquil

Prepared by: Stefanie Torres Agurto

 

 

The sample selected for this research corresponds to the Agrarian University of Ecuador. This research will focus on the criteria of the director and the English teacher interviewed, in addition to the intervention of the students of the Faculty of Agricultural Economics. Our population is concise, with a total of 55 participants, so it will not be necessary to apply formulas.

The data collection instruments used in this study are of the experimental type; the researchers will apply the most appropriate instruments to obtain well-structured and reliable findings and results.

The first instrument to be used is observation, since the academic methods in teaching English will be observed. In addition, students will also be observed and how they react to the proposal of hybrid classrooms as a teaching methodology to improve English learning.

In this project, an interview will be conducted with the director and the English teacher of the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador. In addition to them, a questionnaire of about 8 questions will be developed and asked to the fourth semester students. With these first results obtained from the study we will proceed to present the analysis of the information, in addition to this, the interview with the Director and the teacher will be presented on a test basis, since it was through the Zoom platform.

Also, with this research, a questionnaire based on Likert scale surveys with eight questions will be designed to obtain specific and concise information about the aspect that the researchers will need to know in this research.

Finally, the research will design a satisfaction questionnaire that measured the interest and disposition of the students on the topic learned.

To begin with the analysis and findings of this research project, the following evaluation instruments could be developed:

The observation checklist will contain five different sections. Section one will be on organization; section two will be on presentation, section three on interaction, section four on grammar skills decision making and section five on problem solving.

This classroom observation checklist will contain fifteen items. The parameters will be evaluated as follows: 4= Advanced, 3= Acceptable, 2= Needs improvement, 1= Does not meet standards. The purpose of designing this classroom observation checklist will be to know the strengths and weaknesses that students witness when learning English with conventional classroom methods.

 

Results

Teacher survey results

This section shows a summary of what was discussed with the school director and the English teacher at the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador, in addition to discussing the questions posed in the questionnaire applied to fourth-semester students.

Once the responses of the respondents are obtained, the methodological strategies of hybrid classrooms are established as an improvement in the teaching of English to higher education students. The application of different strategies with communicative, cognitive and metacognitive approaches will be used, these approaches will be evaluated through worksheets that include top-down and bottom-up strategies, word identification, prediction, class conversation in pairs, video strategies, class discussion and reading comprehension.

Additionally, this study will collect the survey response and analyze it using Excel software, and this research will produce statistical graphs, which will show reliable data that will help to find the problem and design the best solution to this problem.

Data analysis

From the interviews conducted with the school principal and the UAE teacher, we were able to obtain a conversation with both education authorities where they were able to affirm to the interviewers the following: "the hybrid classrooms will serve as support for the students, since they always feel more comfortable with the technological devices, besides that they are linked to it a lot". The students are so adapted to the technology that they will not have any difficulty in adapting to the hybrid classrooms with respect to the English classes. In addition, the professors also indicated that "... a virtual modality for English would be more of a reinforcement and that students would be more willing to participate in classes, generating greater interest in wanting to learn the language".

From the sample taken from the students of the Faculty of Agricultural Economics, the questionnaire of questions8 was made, which were answered by the fifty- three students of the fourth semester, where 4 of the most relevant questions were taken to make the respective analysis of the research.

 

Table 2. Do you agree with the implementation of hybrid classrooms to improve English language teaching?

Note: Data obtained from the questionnaire to students of the Faculty of Agricultural Economics of the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador (2021).

Prepared by: Stefanie Torres Agurto.

 

 

This table shows the interaction that UAE students had regarding the implementation of hybrid classrooms to improve the teaching of English, where 15% of the students indicated to be in total agreement; 77% of the students surveyed mentioned to be in agreement; 6% of them indicated to be undecided with the implementation; while 2% of the respondents mentioned to be in disagreement with the new methodology.

 

 

 

 

 

Table 3. Do you think hybrid classrooms will contribute to English language learning?

Note: Data obtained from the questionnaire to students of the Faculty of Agricultural Economics of the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador (2021).

Prepared by: Stefanie Torres Agurto.

 

 

In Table 3, students were asked whether they believe that hybrid classrooms will contribute to the learning of English, where 17% of the students surveyed indicated that they totally agreed that hybrid classrooms will contribute to the learning of English; 51% agreed; 28% were undecided on the question; and finally, 4% of the students indicated that they disagreed with the proposal of hybrid classrooms.

 

Table 4. If you receive English classes virtually, do you think you will participate more

in face-to-face classes?

Note: Data obtained from the questionnaire to students of the Faculty of Agricultural Economics of the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador (2021).

Prepared by: Stefanie Torres Agurto.

 

With respect to the next question asked by the questionnaire to UAE students, 14% of the respondents indicated that they totally agreed that they could participate more in face-to-face classes if they had previously received virtual classes on the topic to be covered; 51% of the students agreed; 26% of them indicated that they were undecided about the question; and 9% indicated that they did not agree with the proposal made in the questionnaire.

 

Table 5. Would you agree to perform assignments and evaluations through hybrid classrooms?

Note: Data obtained from the questionnaire to students of the Faculty of Agricultural Economics of the Universidad Agraria del Ecuador (2021).

Prepared by: Stefanie Torres Agurto.

 

 

Finally, the last question selected for the analysis showed that 34% of the students indicated that they totally agree with doing their homework and evaluations through the hybrid classrooms; 58% of the respondents expressed their agreement; and 8% indicated that they were undecided. This determined that in spite of a certain minority percentage in disagreement in the other questions, students are willing to submit their assignments and take evaluations in virtual mode, giving space for better use by teachers to students using ICT strategies.

 

Conclusion

Hybrid classrooms are presented as a great strategy for student learning, since there is interest in applying this type of pedagogical methods because they contribute in a better way to the teaching of English as a second language. By presenting this enthusiasm, it can be concluded that the research project has a positive level of acceptance, as a result of the level of interest of the students towards the new methodology.

In addition, according to what has been studied and analyzed in this research project, the following can be affirmed:

1.  It had been understood that the new normality does not imply a return to a lifestyle equivalent to that prior to the appearance of COVID-19, but rather a readaptation of daily activities to measures to safeguard people's integrity and overcome this problem.

2.  Likewise, it had been considered that educational change mainly involves the modification of learning practices, with alignment to non-public, social and state objectives.

3.  Pandemic constituted as revitalizing the use of technology for education. this is usually easily observable throughout the documentary review, as it is constantly exposed that hybrid education meets face-to-face with the use of ICT.

4. The hybrid classroom can be a space that combines the use of technologies for communication and knowledge and therefore the physical presence of the tutorial actors, so that in the context of the pandemic, education can often be continued both for those who can attend face-to-face classes and for those who cannot. 

 

Recommendation

It is important to review the content that will be taught in the hybrid classrooms, in addition to the educational processes of higher education institutions, in order to reinforce knowledge and promote the learning of English with greater academic and personal interest.

It is also recommended that the hybrid classrooms be one hundred percent with confirmed attendance by the student, since the level of commitment and inclination towards learning can be measured with the control.

 

References

1.      Giannin, S. (2020). COVID-19 and higher education: From immediate effects to the day after. Latin American Journal of Comparative Education, 1- 57.

2.      Gómez, L. A. (2010). Characteristics of hybrid learning environments: a case study of a graduate program at the Universidad de los Andes. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad    del       Conocimiento            ,           1          -           9.         Retrieved        from https://rusc.uoc.edu/rusc/es/index.php/rusc/article/download/v7n1_osorio/655- 448-2-PB.pdf

3.      Honeycutt, L., & Sears, E. (2020). Teaching Spanish in the United States in the digital age: strategies and approaches to teaching grammar in virtual and hybrid classrooms. Visor - Redalyc, 1 - 13. Retrieved from https://www.redalyc.org/journal/921/92163387002/

4.      Infante, D. V. (2018). INVERTED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND IN HYBRID MODALITY, FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF LINGUISTIC COMPETENCIES IN THE AREA OF ENGLISH OF ADULT STUDENTS OF CYCLE 5 IN THE DEPARTMENTAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION ANTONIO NARIÑO OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MOSQUERA. Universidad de            los       Andes Repository,     1          -215.    Retrieved        from https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/bitstream/handle/1992/34063/u821519.pdf?s equence=1&isAllowed=y

5.      Mejía Gallegos , C. G., Michalón Dueñas, D. E., Michalón Acosta, R. A., Sánchez Gálvez, S., López Fernández, R., & Palmero Urquiza, D. E. (2017). Hybrid learning spaces. Towards an education of the future at the University of Guayaquil.          Medisur,         15(3).  Retrieved        from http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1727- 897X2017000300010

6.      Pedró, F. (June 11, 2020). COVID-19 AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: EFFECTS, IMPACTS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. Fundación            Carolina,         15. doi:https://doi.org/10.33960/AC_36.2020

7.      Portillo Peñuelas, S. A., Castellanos Pierra, L. I., Reynoso González, O. U., & Gavotto Nogales, O. I. (2020). Emergency remote teaching in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic in Middle and Higher Education. Repositorio Institucional del Centro Universitario        de        los       Altos,  17. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.20511/pyr2020.v8nSPE3.589

8.      Quelal,                        F.         (July    7,         2021).  Poliestudios.   Retrieved        from https://www.poliestudios.org/aulas-hibridas-innovacion-educativa/

9.      Sousa Santos, S., Peset González, M. J., & Muñoz Sepúlveda, J. A. (2021). Hybrid teaching through flipped classroom in higher education. Journal of Education, 1

-          51. doi:10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2021-391-473.

10.  Torres, Á. C. (June 28, 2021). Hybrid classrooms: Scenarios for educational transformation       within            the       new     normal.            Podium(39).    Retrieved        from http://scielo.senescyt.gob.ec/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2588- 09692021000100103

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2022 por los autores. Este artículo es de acceso abierto y distribuido según los términos y condiciones de la licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).