Date

12-4-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Janet S. Vosen

Keywords

technology readiness, lack of technology readiness, positive mindset, negative mindset, motivation, digital self-efficacy, self-regulation, self-directed learning, digital anxiety

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to discover how technological readiness affects the students’ mindset in blended learning environments for secondary school students at secondary schools in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The theories guiding this research are the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, as it states that blended learning environments connect the teaching and social communities, making a social fabric in which teaching and learning occur, and Bandura’s social cognitive theory, as it proposed students can construct knowledge by interacting with the learning environment lays the theoretical foundation for blended learning that focuses on building knowledge through a commitment to active learning and self-paced autonomous learning. The Central Research Question is: How do technological readiness and mindset affect the perceived learning of high school students in a blended learning environment? The study employs a qualitative case study design and was conducted in high schools located in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The participants consisted of ten teachers with experience in blended learning. The analytical approach was grounded in hypothetical propositions, which were developed based on research questions and a comprehensive review of the literature. Evidence from blended learning environments suggests that higher technology readiness promotes a sense of positive mindset through enhancing digital self-efficacy, leading to learning motivation, self-regulation, and self-direction, which leads to a growth mindset and perceived learning. Lack of technology creates a negative mindset rooted in self-distrust and digital anxiety, ultimately leading to demotivation and a fixed mindset that hinders perceived learning and reduces performance in blended learning environments.

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