Effect of Multimodality in HyFlex Learning on Student Teachers’ Learning Interest

and Academic Performance at a Public University in Malaysia

Supervisory committee: Teh Liang Jing
• Prof. Dr. Wong Su Luan PhD in Educational Technology
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Zariat Abdul Rani Faculty of Educational Studies
 Table of Contents

01. Introduction 03. Methodology

• Background • Philosophical assumption
• Problem statement • Research design
• Research objectives • Location of study, Population, Sampling
• Research questions • Treatment of study
• Definition of terms • Instrumentation
• Data analysis

02. Literature review 04. Conclusion

• Theoretical perspective • Questions & answer
• Research trend of HyFlex
learning
• Literature review
• Theoretical framework
• Conceptual framework
 01.

Introduction
Background of the study

Source: Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education)

 Background of the study
widen access to education enhance teaching and learning

personalize learning technology-enabled innovations

"Blended learning models will become a staple pedagogical approach in all higher
learning institutions."
"requiring up to 70% of programmes to use blended learning models.“
(Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2015, p. E-16)

Source: Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education)

 Background of the study
● Announced the introduction of hybrid and flexible
learning systems at HEIs
● 95 bachelor’s degree programmes
● 19 public universities
● 2023/2024 academic term
● More flexibility, reduce overall tertiary education cost,
Minister of Higher Education expands off-campus activities, enter job market earlier
Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin

Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/06/04/ministry-introduces-hybrid-flexible-learning-system-mandatory-university-attendance-only-in-first-final-years/72449
 What is Hybrid-flexible (HyFlex) learning?
Pioneered by Dr. Brian Beatty in 2007 at San Francisco State University

For each class session / project, students can choose their desired participation
modality (Beatty, 2019):

Physical Online synchronous Online asynchronous

Attend physical classroom at the Participate via online conference Participate via watching session
fixed time call platform at the fixed time recording at learner’s own time
 Statement of Problem
Tertiary dropouts and learning loss in Malaysia
In 2021:
Over 17,000 public university dropouts (4,000 more than 2020)
Over 20,000 private university students postponed their studies
Learning loss rate of 0.95 years or 11.4 months
low academic performance, low learning interest, and personal
circumstances (health and family issues)
Juggling multiple responsibilities and life roles, including student,
employee, or job seeker
Source: New Straits Times (2022), FMT Reporters (2022), Ferlito et al. (2021), Mills (2020), Daim & Yunus (2022), OECD (2023)
 Statement of Problem
Unclear classification of physical and online students in
previous studies
Liu & Rodriguez (2019), online physical
Mentzer et al. (2023) Online group
online physical

"no defined face-to-face or online cohorts"

"further investigation is required to conduct more fine-grained
analyses of each individual method across online and face-to-face
mode"
(Binnewies & Wang, 2019, p. 19)
 Statement of Problem
Gap of knowledge regarding the order effects of
participation modalities towards student learning outcomes

A B C

A
students’ learning interest
B C
and academic achievement?
C B A
 Statement of Problem
Various inherent challenges of HyFlex learning

Technology dependency

Challenges in providing equal student learning experience

to both physical and online students

Lack of self-management skills among the students

Heavy workload among the instructors

Binnewies & Wang (2019); Conklina et al. (2017); Lakhal et al. (2017); Bower et al. (2014); Cunningham (2014)
 Statement of Problem
Tertiary dropouts and learning loss in Malaysia

Unclear classification physical and online groups of students

in previous studies

Gap of knowledge regarding the order effects of participation

modalities towards student learning outcomes

Various inherent challenges of HyFlex learning

 Research objectives
1. To investigate the effects of physical, online synchronous, and online
asynchronous modalities of a HyFlex course on student teachers' learning
interest.
2. To investigate the effects of the participation modalities sequence of a HyFlex
course on student teachers' learning interest.
3. To investigate the effects of physical, online synchronous, and online
asynchronous modalities of a HyFlex course on student teachers' academic
performance.
4. To investigate the effects of the participation modalities sequence of a HyFlex
course on student teachers' academic performance.
5. To explore the factors affecting student teachers' learning interest and academic
performance in different participation modalities of a HyFlex course.
Quantitative strand
Research questions
RQ 1: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and
post-test 3?
RQ 2: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3
of student teachers across three timepoints?
RQ 3: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and
post-test 3 among student teachers in group 1?
RQ 4: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and
post-test 3 among student teachers in group 2?
RQ 5: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and
post-test 3 among student teachers in group 3?
RQ 6: Is there a significant difference in academic performance between Group 1, Group 2, and
Group 3 of student teachers across three timepoints?
Qualitative strand
RQ 7: How do different participation modalities affect student teachers' learning interest in a
HyFlex learning environment?
RQ 8: How do different participation modalities affect student teachers' academic performance in
a HyFlex learning environment?
 Definitions of terms
Terms Theoretical definition Operational definition

HyFlex An instructional approach that A learning model in which

learning combines hybrid learning and flexible throughout 12 weeks of the
course structure, giving both semester, the learners can choose to
instructors and learners the option to participate in the learning activities
participate in planned courses either physically, online synchronously, or
remotely or in person (Beatty, 2019). online asynchronously.
Participation Different approaches or methods The three ways that the learners can
modalities employed to encourage and facilitate participate in the teaching and
active engagement and involvement of learning process of the HyFlex
learners in the educational process course, which include (1) physical (2)
(Rego, 2018; Paskevicius & Irvine, online synchronous, and (3) online
2019). asynchronous.
 Definitions of terms
Terms Theoretical definition Operational definition

Learning The intrinsic motivation and curiosity The student teachers' perception of
interest that individuals have towards situational interest triggered, the
acquiring knowledge and engaging in extent of cognitive immersion, as
the learning process (Renninger et al., well as the meaningfulness of the
2004; Krapp, 1999; Hidi, 1990). learning activity.
Academic The evaluation and assessment of an The student teachers' total
performance individual's achievement, progress, assessment scores of the HyFlex
and competence in educational course which were measured by
settings (Wentzel & Wigfield, 1998). individual and group projects.
 02.

Literature Review
 Theoretical Perspective
Interest-Driven Creator (IDC) theory
cuing
triggering imitating
environment

Interest Creation Habit

loop loop loop
extending immersing staging combining harmony routine

learners are more likely to engage in learning activities when they are interested in the subject
matter and provided with opportunities to create based on what they learnt, which allows them to
develop habits that sustain their interest and creativity

Chan et al. (2018), Wong et al. (2020)

 Theoretical Perspective
Interest loop of IDC theory
Triggering interest
● Arousal of “curiosity”
triggering ● Presenting extraordinary information or riddles that highlight
a knowledge gap

Interest Immersing interest

loop ● Enabling the state of “flow”
extending immersing ● Novel activities and challenges that fully engages learners

Extending interest
● “Meaningful” learning
● Connecting new knowledge with learners’ existing knowledge
● Learning which is relevant to students’ real-life situations

Chan et al. (2018), Wong et al. (2020)

Research Trends of HyFlex Learning

Source: Scopus database as of December 2023

 Research Trends of HyFlex Learning

Co-citation analysis Bibliographic analysis Co-word analysis

(3 significant clusters) (4 significant clusters) (3 significant clusters)

Source: Author interpretation based on VOSviewer analysis

 Literature Review
HyFlex Learning v.s. conventional learning models
Students who underwent HyFlex courses were at par with their peers who
learnt via traditional or fully online approach…
(Mentzer et al., 2023; Rhoads, 2020; Lightner & Lightner-Laws, 2016),
… or in some instances, better than them in terms of academic performance
(Amirova et al., 2023; Mentzer et al., 2023; Liu & Rodriguez, 2019; He et al., 2015),

overall learning satisfaction self-directed learning

(Shek et al., 2022; Bakach, 2021; Rhoads, 2020) (Wong et al., 2023a)

higher course completion rates ● optimize classroom space usage

(Abdelmalak & Parra, 2016) ● maximize teacher-student ratio
● provide a resilient teaching method
(Beatty, 2019)
 Literature Review
Physical vs. Online Synchronous v.s. Online Asynchronous in HyFlex Learning
Quantitative studies (Mentzer et al., 2023; Rhoads, 2020; Lightner & Lightner-Laws, 2016)
No significant difference in academic performance

Mixed technique study (Wilson & Alexander, 2021)

Quantitative findings: no significant effect of participation modalities on academic
performance
Qualitative findings: HyFlex learning accommodated student learning needs and
enhance ther learning quality and satisfaction

Mixed methods study (Lafortune, 2018)

There could be a difference in learning experience between in-person and remote
learners
 Theoretical Framework

Design
triggering

Development
Interest
HyFlex course
loop
extending immersing Implementation

Evaluation

c
Conceptual Framework
Triggering

Independent variables Dependent variables

Participation modalities
Learning interest
Physical
• Triggering
• Immersing
Online synchronous • Extending

Online asynchronous Academic performance

Extending Immersing

Interest loop of IDC theory

c
 03.

Methodology
 Methodology

Philosophical Research Location of

assumption design study
Quan: Post-positivism Explanatory sequential Universiti Putra
Qual: Constructivism mixed methods design Malaysia (UPM)

Population Sample size Sampling

1,270 undergraduate Quan: 70 Quan: Criterion sampling

students in the Faculty of Qual : 10 Qual : Maximum variation
Educational Studies, UPM (heterogeneity) sampling
Quan = Quantitative strand; Qual = Qualitative strand
 Treatment of study
Randomized Counterbalanced Repeated Measure Design with post-test only

Week 1-3 Week 3 Week 5-7 Week 7 Week 9-11 Week 11

Group 1 X1 X2 X3

Group 2 X2 O1 X3 O2 X1 O3

Group 3 X3 X1 X2

X1 - X3 : Research treatment X2 : Online synchronous learning O1 : Post-test 1

X1 : Physical learning X3 : Online asynchronous learning O2 : Post-test 2
O3 : Post-test 3
The HyFlex learning environment
 Instrumentation
Quantitative strand

Section A Section B (Chen et al., 1999) [𝑎= .78, .80, .90, .91, and .95]
Demographic data Learning interest
• Gender • Triggering interest
• Age • Immersing
• Extending interest

Number of items : 2 19 Total: 21

Qualitative strand
• Focus Group Discussion (FGD) protocol
• Participants’ learning artefacts
 Data Analysis
Research questions Data analysis

RQ 1: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and post-test Split-plot analysis of
3? variance (SPANOVA)
RQ 2: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 of
student teachers across three timepoints?

RQ 3: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and post-test
3 among student teachers in group 1?
One-way repeated
RQ 4: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and post-test
measure analysis of
3 among student teachers in group 2?
variance (ANOVA)
RQ 5: Is there a significant difference in learning interest between post-test 1, post-test 2, and post-test
3 among student teachers in group 3?

RQ 6: Is there a significant difference in academic performance between Group 1, Group 2, and Group Split-plot analysis of
3 of student teachers across three timepoints? variance (SPANOVA)

RQ 7: How do different participation modalities affect student teachers' learning interest in a HyFlex
learning environment?
Content analysis
RQ 8: How do different participation modalities affect student teachers' academic performance in a
HyFlex learning environment?
 Conclusion
The researcher will:
1. be the sole instructor of the HyFlex course
2. collect, analyse, and interpret both quantitative and qualitative data

Ethics approval will be obtained from the Ethics Committee of Universiti Putra Malaysia
(JKEUPM).

Participants’ decision to participate in this research will not affect their grade and their
relationship with the course instructor.

All data will be held private and confidential.

“HyFlex learning provides the capacity for
programs to serve remote students in
additional to providing convenience and
alternatives to regional students”

— Beatty (2019, p. 12)