PhD defence
Design for Engagement in Blended Learning: Insights, Practices, and Challenges
- L. Wang
- Date
- Tuesday 1 July 2025
- Time
- Location
-
Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Supervisor(s)
- Prof.dr. W. Admiraal
- Prof.dr. R. van der Rijst
- dr. A. de Vetten
Summary
This dissertation offers valuable insights into student engagement within blended learning environments. Comprising four studies and a systematic literature review, the research employs various analytical methods, including ANOVA, regression analysis, qualitative analysis, and latent profile analysis. The findings reveal that student engagement in blended learning is influenced by multiple factors—namely, individual, instructional, interactional, and learning environment elements. Notably, students’ perceived learner control was not found to be associated with engagement at the activity level in this context. Additionally, pre-class learning activities did not significantly contribute to in-class engagement, except for reading literature reviews. Furthermore, pre-class behavioral engagement patterns did not impact in-class engagement or exam scores, whereas self-regulation skills were positively associated with in-class engagement. The results underscore that the significance of different engagement dimensions varies across contexts. They also suggest that measuring engagement at the activity level can facilitate more effective support strategies. Key challenges in enhancing student engagement include managing the complex interplay of factors with varying degrees of malleability, addressing students’ lack of self-regulation skills, and supporting engagement at the activity level. Based on these insights, the dissertation recommends that educators consider these factors, foster students’ self-regulation abilities, and design targeted support for specific activities. The dissertation can inform teaching practices at Leiden University and other institutions in the Netherlands, contributing to the broader goal of establishing a blended university model across the country.
PhD dissertations
Approximately one week after the defence, PhD dissertations by Leiden PhD students are available digitally through the Leiden Repository, that offers free access to these PhD dissertations. Please note that in some cases a dissertation may be under embargo temporarily and access to its full-text version will only be granted later.
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General information
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