BEYOND FLEXIBILITY: ASSESSING PRE-SERVICE TEACHER SATISFACTION IN A UDL-ENHANCED BLENDED LEARNING INTERVENTION

This study assessed pre-service teachers’ satisfaction with blended learning modes of delivery aligned with Universal Design for Learning. Participants’ (N=123) responses were collected using a validated satisfaction scale. Given the violation of parametric test assumptions, a Wilcoxon rank test was employed to determine whether students’ ratings of the satisfaction scale items differed from a predefined neutral value (median=3) (two-tailed). The findings revealed a significant deviation from the predefined neutral median values across all the satisfaction scale items (p<.001), with effect sizes ranging from (r=0.642) to (r=0.911) across the items. However, the study noted significant agreement with negative experiences such as feelings of isolation (r=0.703), anxiety (r=0.773), and weak effects for the Learning Management System’s usability (r=0.275). Thus, the study concluded that participants generally perceived the blended learning as satisfying overall but experienced unintended psychosocial and technical challenges, signifying the need for more balanced and usable design that could harmonise flexibility with social and emotional support. In the light of these challenges and limitations, the paper provides recommendations for practitioners and future research directions.