Quality Outcomes through teaching culture in blended setting: Spoken Arabic as a case study

Blended learning is viewed to be the most important recent advancement in education (Thorne, 2003) and refers to a combination of face-to-face (physical) and online (virtual) learning environments (Stacey & Gerbic, 2009). This presentation reports an experimental study (in-progress) that investigated the effectiveness of using blended learning to teach “language as culture” (Kramsch, 1995). Eighteen Arabic language learners at the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MENAS) at the University of Arizona participated in the study by filling out a pre- and post-questionnaire about their satisfaction with the blended setting. Initial results show that learners were satisfied, had more opportunities to reflect on what they have learned about the Arabic culture, and had more access to information and resources. However, some learners expressed facing challenges in coping with blended learning such as lack of motivation and difficulties in using technology. The presentation closes with implications for effective teaching/learning of language-and-culture in blended environment.