Students' Readiness and Attitudes toward Blended Learning Adoption in Public Sector Universities of South Punjab, Pakistan: A Quantitative Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v3i1.2486Keywords:
Blended Learning, Technology Readiness, Digital Adoption, Student Attitudes, Higher Education, Pakistan, Developing CountriesAbstract
The use of a combination of face-to-face and digital learning, known as blended learning, has become an important pedagogical practice in the world of higher education. But its implementation is significantly dependent on student technological readiness, accessibility of digital resources, SRL ability, and attitude to adopting online learning. The quantitative study was conducted to explore the perceptions and attitudes of students' readiness to adopt blended learning in the five public sector universities of South Punjab, Pakistan with a sample of 125 education students. The study measured five core dimensions, namely technical abilities (α = 0.80), technology accessibility (α = 0.82), personal learning habits (α = 0.84), face-to-face learning preferences (α = 0.81) and attitudes toward online/blended learning (α = 0.85) through a structured questionnaire with binary response categories (Yes/No). Findings show high levels of student readiness in all constructs, ranging from 82.4% to 96% of students with adequate technical abilities, and 84.8% to 92.8% with consistent access to digital technologies. The self-regulated learning habits of students were very good and the results were as shown: 84.8%-93.6% students were committed to self-regulated learning and timely completion of assignments. Despite the excitement about online platforms, students still had strong preferences for in-person interaction, ranging between 88.8% and 92.8% having a positive preference for the teacher interacting directly with them. The findings highlight that learners of South Punjab are very well equipped for adoption of blended learning, however the institutional challenges such as lack of infrastructure, internet connectivity, teacher training and readiness have to be addressed through policy interventions immediately. This research is valuable in terms of the understanding of technology readiness in a developing country higher education context, and offers concrete evidence that can help universities, policy makers and educational administrators in determining the most effective ways to implement blended learning in contexts in which resources are limited.
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