This applied dissertation was designed to provide better access to current information for best practices in kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) online learning. Virtual schooling is becoming a mainstream option for high school students, especially when some courses are not offered in every traditional school. Despite its increased popularity, very few studies had been conducted in K-12 virtual schooling. There was a need for more research based on the perspectives of adolescent students to understand the importance of quality interactions that can bridge the psychological and communications gap that may result when the learner and teacher are separated by time and distance. A quantitative study was conducted at a district-level high school located in the southeastern area of Florida to understand the relationship between adolescent students’ perceptions of the quality and level of learner-teacher, learner-learner, and learner-content interactions; academic achievement; and satisfaction in an online course. Transactional distance theory was used to explain if the quality interactions utilizing synchronous and asynchronous tools have the potential to increase the dialogue within this online course, thereby, reducing the transactional distance. Data was gathered by using a nonexperimental, self-reported, Web-based interaction preferences survey of approximately 50 high school students. Descriptive and nonparametric inferential statistical methods were used to guide, interpret, and analyze students’ responses from this survey.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The present thesis explores the experience of international students in Sweden with blended learning and the uses of technology during the post-pandemic era. Based on a qualitative design, and semi-structured interviews with six international students, participation and experience in the transition from off-campus learning to on-campus learning has been identified. Challenges and opportunities associated with blended learning and the uses of technology were also discussed during the same period. In addition, students' attitudes towards the use of technology were studied during the same period. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Active learning theory, the findings were analysed. The results of the study show differences in international students' perspectives on blended learning and the use of technology. Furthermore, the study also shows that students' skills about using technology were developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to international students, a new academic strategy regarding curricula and teaching methods, must be developed in order to improve future learning in higher education. Which means that traditional curricula should changes to suites more online and blended learning. In addition, that teachers should use always different teaching methods than they do today.

The purpose of this study was to examine the academic, social, and emotional effects of COVID-19 on 11th- and 12th-grade students. There has been little documentation regarding the specific change that the pandemic has had on these students; it is imperative that we look at the effects of COVID-19 on the students who experienced COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection was completed through individual interviews. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) categorization of data under the four organizational factors, (b) building the explanation in a phenological form, and (c) re-examination of the data. The analysis of the narrative study was based on the theoretical proposition that the teachers were focused on the whole child and not just academic standards. The humanistic theory framework was established as teachers examined the influences in their classrooms based on the well-being of their students. The credibility of the analysis was protected by triangulation of data through multiple sources of evidence, establishment of a chain of evidence, and member checking. The results revealed that the main concerns were students attending school and getting the credits needed to graduate through both in-person classes and online learning. The themes that emerged were classroom management, relationship building, communication, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed learning, and the effects of COVID-19.

Seit 2012 haben die wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Institute der Universität Leipzig und der Technischen Universität Dresden mehrere Prototypen einer innovativen komplexen Online-Lehr-Lernumgebung entwickelt und getestet (Achtenhagen & John, 1992, Schlicht et al. 2017, S. 46). Der jüngste Prototyp wurde von 2017 bis 2021 in einem Blended-Research-Based-Learning (RBL)-Kurs zu Forschungsmethoden für Bachelor-Studierende an der Universität Leipzig getestet. Die zentrale Forschungsfrage lautete: Wie lernen Erstsemester der Wirtschaftswissenschaften mit dem Blended-RBL-Kurs zu Forschungsmethoden? Die zentrale Herausforderung bestand darin, die Studierenden auf systematische Weise an wissenschaftliches Denken heranzuführen (Sektion Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, 2014, S. 6; Schlicht et al., 2017, S. 43). Darüber hinaus war weitere Forschung zum besseren Verständnis des Lernprozesses mit dem Blended-RBL-Kurs erforderlich (Dziuban et al. 2018; Klauser, 1998; Reinmann, 2016, 2011; Schlicht, 2021, Schlicht et al., 2017, S. 48). Ein quantitatives Design wurde verwendet, um die Lernergebnisse des Blended-RBL-Kurses zu analysieren (Isaac & Michael, 1995). In Anlehnung an die Definitionen für quasi-experimentelle Designs von Campbell und Stanley (1966) wurde ein Ein-Gruppen-Pretest-Posttest-Design durchgeführt. Interessanterweise zeigen die Ergebnisse einen vollständigen Mediationseffekt (Hayes, 2013) der intrinsischen Motivation zwischen der Akzeptanz und den Kenntnissen und Fähigkeiten. Die Akzeptanz ist signifikant und positiv mit der intrinsischen Motivation verbunden, der indirekte Effekt a ist mit 0,89 hoch. Der indirekte Effekt der intrinsischen Motivation auf Wissen und Fähigkeiten ist positiv signifikant und sein Wert b ist 0,43 und der direkte Effekt der Akzeptanz auf Wissen und Fähigkeiten c' ist 0,374. Der Gesamteffekt der Akzeptanz auf Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten hat einen standardisierten Koeffizienten von 0,3644, was bedeutet, dass für jede Einheit, die wir die Zeichensetzung in der Akzeptanzskala verbessern können, eine Verbesserung um 0,3644 in der Skala der Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten durch den indirekten Effekt der intrinsischen Motivation, der 0,3904 beträgt, erwartet wird. Obwohl die Motivation am Ende des Kurses abnahm, zeigt diese Studie, dass durch die Verbesserung der Akzeptanz erwartet wird, dass wir sowohl die Lernergebnisse, die intrinsische Motivation als auch die Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten steigern können.:Contents List of Abbreviations V List of Tables VII List of Figures IX List of Equations XII 1 Introduction to Researching Blended Research-Based Learning in Business Higher Education 13 1.1 General Context for Innovative Blended Research-Based Learning Offers in Higher Education During Pandemic Times 13 1.2 Blended Research-Based Learning Background at Leipzig University 16 1.3 Problems in Researching Blended Learning in Business Higher Education 18 1.3.1 Research Gaps in Online and Blended Learning for Business Higher Education 18 1.3.2 Research Gap in Blended RBL for Business Higher Education 20 1.3.3 Evaluating a Blended RBL Course at Leipzig University 22 1.4 Purpose of the Study 24 1.5 Significance of the Study 24 1.6 Research Questions 26 1.7 Organization of the Study 27 2 Model Generation for the Influence of the Acceptance on the Learning Process for Blended Research-Based Learning 30 2.1 Understanding the Learning Concept and its Implications for PBL and RBL Environments 30 2.2 Blended Learning More Than a Sort of Online Learning 32 2.2.1 Three Approaches to Blended Learning Models 36 2.2.2 Pedagogical Aspects of Designing Blended Learning for Higher Education 39 2.2.3 Complex Teaching-Learning Environments in Business Higher Education 41 2.3 Problem-Based Learning in Connection to Research-Based Learning 43 2.4 Research-Based Learning Fosters Academic Thinking by Using the Three Basic Dimensions of Teaching that Promote Learning 46 2.4.1 Research-Based Learning at the Beginning of Studies 50 2.4.2 Research-Based Learning and Blended Delivery 54 2.5 Evaluation Aspects for Blended Research-Based Learning in Business Higher Education 56 2.6 Understanding Good Teaching in Higher Education 62 2.7 Knowledge and Skills Acquisition – Cognitive Facets in the Learning Process for Blended Research-Based Learning Environments 64 2.8 Motivation Facet in the Blended Research-Based Learning Process for Business Higher Education 68 2.9 Acceptance of Blended Learning Offers in Higher Education 73 2.10 Control Variables for the Blended RBL Study 80 2.11 Proposed Conceptual Model for the Relationship Between Acceptance, Motivation, and Knowledge and Skills in Blended Research-Based Learning 82 3 Longitudinal Research Design of the Learning Process and Acceptance within the Blended RBL Course at Leipzig University 88 3.1 General Settings of the Blended RBL Course on Research Methods 88 3.1.1 Blended RBL Course Description 89 3.1.2 Portrayal of the Complex Learning Environment and the Blended RBL Course on Research Methods 91 3.2 Implementing a Quasi-Experimental Design for Understanding the Learning Process and Acceptance Within the Blended RBL Course 95 3.3 General Description of the Sample and Participants 96 3.4 Learning Process and Acceptance Instrumentation 96 3.5 Instrument Validity and Reliability 98 3.5.1 Factor analysis for Motivation, Knowledge and Skills, and Acceptance 98 3.5.2 Normality Assumption for Motivation, Knowledge and Skills, and Acceptance 99 3.5.3 Extraction and Rotation Methods Selection for EFA 103 3.5.4 Bidimensional Scale for Motivation and Unidimensional Scales for Knowledge and Skills and Acceptance 103 3.5.5 Reliability Estimates for Motivation, Knowledge and Skills, and Acceptance 105 3.6 Data Collection Procedures and Analysis 107 4 Significant Gains on the Learning Process and High Acceptance of the Blended RBL Course at Leipzig University 109 4.1 Overview of the Evaluation Analysis at Leipzig University 109 4.2 Sample Descriptive Statistics 109 4.3 Knowledge and Skills on Research Methods Increased After Attending the Blended RBL Course 110 4.4 Motivation Levels Remain Stable During the Blended RBL Course 113 4.5 The Blended RBL Course on Research Methods Achieved High Acceptance Among Business Education Students 119 4.6 Evidence of Associations Between Motivation, Knowledge and Skills, and Acceptance 121 4.7 Intrinsic Motivation and Acceptance as Good Predictors for Knowledge and Skills Acquisition 125 4.8 Total Mediation Effect of Intrinsic Motivation Between Acceptance and Knowledge and Skills 131 5 Discussion and Conclusion 137 5.1 Discussion of the Findings 137 5.2 Limitations 145 5.3 Implications for Practice 146 5.4 Recommendations for Future Research 148 References 151 Appendix A 194 Pre-test and Post-test Questionnaires in German and English 194 Appendix B 198 Histograms and Q-Q Plots by Item 198 Histograms and Q-Q Plots by Variable 212 Appendix C 214 Student’s Semester by Intrinsic Motivation 214 Appendix D 216 Nonparametric Correlations Between the Study’s Variables 216 Declaration of academic integrity according to § 8 par. 2 (1.) 218 Declaration of academic integrity according to § 8 par. 2 (2.) 219