Blended Learning-Based Collaborative Learning: A Case Study on Its Application in Linguistics Theory Courses for English Education Majors

Objectives This study investigates students' perceptions of a content-focused English major course designed by the application of blended learning and collaborative learning. The research explores an effective learner-centered instruction approach by examining the potential for improving theory-focused courses. Methods The study was conducted in an English syntax theory course, a content-focused course in a department of English Education in a university located in Chungcheong Province. The course was designed by a blended learning combined with collaborative learning structure. A survey was conducted at the end of the semester with 23 students to measure their perceptions and satisfaction with various elements of the course (e.g, course components, perceived difficulty, interest levels, and learning effectiveness, etc.). Results The results indicated that the participants showed overall active participation and high level of satisfaction with all the tested specific course components. Notably, the participants reported a decrease in the perceived difficulty of syntactic theory after taking this course, whereas their interest in the course increased significantly. Additional survey responses with open-ended questions provided insights into the advantages of this teaching approach and considerations for further course implementation. Conclusions The study demonstrates that the combination of a blended learning and collaborative learning can be effectively applied even in theory/content-focused courses in the language education major. This integrated instructional approach has the advantage of having potential to promote learner-driven progress, teamwork, and a sense of achievement and can be used as a versatile method applicable to diversity of educational contexts.