Toward Blended Language Learning Frameworks

Abstract

Over the past decades, but particularly as a response to the global pandemic, online language technologies have made blended approaches increasingly practical for the language learning classroom. Despite the growing interest in blended learning generally, research has shown an overemphasis on comparative studies (Goertler, 2019), and left the field with a lack of summative research in blended language learning (BLL). For this article, therefore, we reviewed 208 peer-reviewed studies on BLL to identify predominant scholarly trends, including gaps in the literature, and to encourage further investigation in targeted areas. We specifically advocate for scholarship that addresses language proficiency outcomes, connects the domains of language learning theory and blended instruction, and centers on design-based aims. We invite educators within blended education, foreign language acquisition, and other relevant fields to work collaboratively across disciplines, using our review as a springboard to develop a more complete BLL design framework to better use the affordances of technology to advance BLL.