Abstract:
The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Blended learning (BL) on
undergraduate students' Conceptual Understanding (CU), engagement (SE), and epistemological
beliefs (EBs) in learning Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry (CBMG) concepts. To
achieve this goal, a mixed research approach was employed. For the quantitative approach, a
pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design was employed. For the
qualitative phase, a phenomenological design was used. The study was conducted at Bahir Dar
University in the Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia. A total of 86 undergraduate
students (Male = 59 and Female = 27) participated, with the intervention group (IG; n = 42)
taught via the BL approach and the comparison group (CG; n = 44) taught via the Conventional
Teaching Method (CTM). A total of nine participants, six from IG and 3 students from CG,
participated in the semi-structured interviews. The Three-tier Conceptual Understanding
Diagnostic Test (TTCUDT), Student Engagement Scale (SES), and Colorado Learning
Assessment and Science Survey (Class-Chem) were administered to both groups as pretest and
posttest. Moreover, semi-structured interview questions were administered regarding CU, SE,
and EBs after the treatment. The study employed quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative
data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26 and were examined using descriptive
and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Findings from both
approaches indicated that students who engaged with the BL approach demonstrated greater CU,
SE, and more sophisticated EBs than their peers who experienced CTM while learning CBMG
concepts. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the BL approach significantly reduced students'
MCs and enhanced their confidence. However, no statistically significant gender differences
were observed in CU, SE, and EBs within either the intervention or comparison groups. The BL
approach has been shown to substantially enhance students‘ CU, SE, and EBs regarding
scientific knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed that, within the
BL environment, students‘ CU was significantly correlated with their engagement and EBs;
moreover, increased SE contributed to the development of more sophisticated EBs. Although the
implementation of BL has a significant positive effect on students' CU, SE, and EBs related to
knowledge, various challenges were encountered in the learning environment due to
technological, pedagogical, student-related, and institutional factors. Adopting carefully designed
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BL approaches enables educational institutions to improve teaching effectiveness and SE, while
contributing to the growing evidence on the pedagogical impact of BL in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Drawing on these findings, further
implications for practice and recommendations for future research are advanced