Effectiveness of Online and Blended Learning Approaches on Adult Learners' Academic Performance, Engagement and Learning Effectiveness in Nigeria

The learning effectiveness of adult learners in Lagos State has been constrained by uncertainties regarding the impact of digital learning modalities. This study investigated the effect of online and blended learning approaches on learning effectiveness in adult education. Specifically, the study examined the influence of online learning on perceived academic performance, assessed the effect of blended learning on learner engagement, and compared overall learning effectiveness between the two learning modalities. Content validity was ensured through expert review, while a pilot study of 30 adult learners established a reliability coefficient of 0.85. The main study sampled 300 adult learners using multi-stage sampling, combining purposive selection of centres, stratified sampling based on learning modes, and simple random sampling of participants. Findings reveal that online learning significantly influenced perceived academic performance (β = 0.48, t = 7.62, p = 0.000), while blended learning significantly enhanced learner engagement (β = 0.52, t = 8.14, p = 0.000). The study concludes that although both approaches are effective in promoting adult learning, blended learning offers a more comprehensive and effective strategy. It is therefore recommended that educational institutions adopt blended learning as a standard instructional approach and invest in digital infrastructure and learner training to enhance learning effectiveness.