The Effect of Blended Learning with Collaborative Learning upon English Communication Skills of English Teaching Program Students

Abstract

English communication is one of the most important skills in 21$^{st}$ century because English is an international language. People use it for communication all over the world. It is necessary for students to improve their English skills, especially students in English teaching programs. They are able to develop their communication skills for their further studies and their future careers. Furthermore, English is used through myriads media and technologies including social media, applications, and websites. Computing and ICT literacy are also crucial skills. Blended Learning is applied in teaching and learning through media and technology in the form of online learning. Students can learn by themselves and gain knowledge from educational materials that teachers provided from numerous kinds of resources. In addition, Collaborative Learning is one of the most required skills in 21$^{st}$ century; it can assist students to learn through group process, teamwork, group activities, and exchanging knowledge with each other. Therefore, this research focused on blended learning and collaborative learning to develop English communication skills of the university students in English Teaching Program. The objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of blended learning and collaborative learning upon English communication skills of English Teaching Program students. The sampling of this research was 23 English Teaching Program students in the Faculty of Education, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University. The research instruments were lesson plans, Pre-test and Post-test, and observation forms. The statistics employed in the research were Means, Standard Deviation (S.D.), and t-test. The results revealed that learning achievement of English communication skills after using the Blend Learning and collaborative learning was higher than before using the approach with statistically significant difference at.05 level. The levels of communication skills of English Teaching program students are in high levels $(\overline{X} = 3.86)$. The results exposed positive results with outstanding effect. Consequently, the Blended Learning and the Collaborative Learning can be applied in English communication skill development. This research could be used as a guideline for English teachers to teach by using blended learning and support collaborative learning to develop students’ English abilities. Five steps in blended learning with collaborative learning upon English communication skills are: 1) giving source of information 2) making group of students 3) task assignments 4) consulting teacher and 5) creating and publishing their works.