Blended Learning for English Writing Skills: A Thematic Analysis of Students’ Perspectives in Chinese University

Blended learning has received widespread attention as an English language teaching method that has a positive impact on improving students’ writing skills (Quvanch & Na, 2020). Although the application of blended learning in English language teaching has become increasingly widespread, existing research lacks an in-depth exploration of Chinese university students’ specific perspectives and needs in English writing courses. In particular, the current literature seldom addresses the specific issues students face in English writing and their preferences for blended learning models. To address this gap, this paper aims to explore Chinese university students’ perspectives on blended learning in English writing courses, employing a qualitative research method and thematic analysis to gain an in-depth understanding of students’ viewpoints from semi-structured interviews. The research objectives include investigating students’ issues in English writing, studying student’ preferences for blended learning models, and identifying the benefits of integrating mobile apps in blended learning from students’ perspectives. The findings of the study revealed that students’ issues in English writing can be categorized into four main aspects. By thoroughly understanding students’ issues, educators can effectively design targeted curriculum content and teaching strategies. Students generally expressed a preference for applying blended learning models in writing courses. Students also believed that integrating mobile apps in a blended learning environment brings significant convenience and increased course interactivity through interactive activities. These findings provide important insights for optimizing the instructional design of English writing courses and offer direction for further exploration of mobile applications in writing instruction. There is still room for improvement in this study and different retrieval techniques need to be explored and practised in future research.