BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF BLENDED LEARNING: PERSPECTIVES OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN ILORIN, NIGERIA

The study investigated the perceived benefits and challenges of blended learning among pre-service teachers of primary education in Ilorin, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The target population consists of all preservice teachers of primary education in tertiary institutions in Ilorin, Nigeria, while the study sample consist of 400 pre-service teachers randomly selected across four tertiary institutions. Researcher self-constructed questionnaire titled: “Benefits and Challenges of Blended Learning Questionnaire” (BCBLQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by two experts in Teacher Education and Educational Test and Measurement, while Cronbach Alpha reliability method used yielded an index of 0.83. Mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research questions, while Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used to test the hypothesis formulated. The findings revealed that blended learning is beneficial to teaching and learning as it promotes collaborative learning and improves learners’ engagement. It was also revealed that lack of suitable infrastructure and access to technology is among the constraints for the successful implementation of blended learning. It was recommended that school administrators should encourage the integration of blended learning to foster effective teaching and learning.