A Single Case Study of Blended Learning in a Colorado Middle School

The purpose of this single case study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers and administrators on the impact of a three-station rotation model of blended learning in a Colorado middle school. The study includes any benefits and drawbacks realized through “Hazleton” Middle School’s instructional shift to blended learning, specifically whether there is evidence that teachers and administrators perceive an improvement with students’ ability to grasp academic concepts, develop self-advocacy and self-efficacy skills, increase engagement, and reduce and prioritize teacher preparation time. The study was conducted using a focus group interview with three school administrators, interviews with 16 teachers, and observations of twelve of those teachers’ classrooms at a middle school in Colorado. The self-efficacy theory framed this study as it connects student learning with providing opportunities for students to believe in themselves. The collected data was compiled, triangulated, and analyzed. Academic conceptual grasp, self-advocacy, self-efficacy, engagement, teacher preparation time, and device appropriation were the six themes that emerged during the data analysis. While some participants perceptions differed, a positive trend was seen from the first four. Most agreed teacher preparation time has increased, but expect it to decrease with experience in managing the data and learning objectives to create lesson plans. An unexpected but important finding was the importance of device appropriation for implementation of a blended learning model using devices in classrooms is having a plan for distribution then following up with teachers and the leadership team to determine if any adjustments are needed.