Face-To-Face Versus Online Learning: First-Year Students’ Experiences of Academic Writing
Angelo Meyers 
, Cornelia Smith & Madoda Cekiso
Issue: Vol.5 No.5 Issue Article 16 pp.784-797
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245516 | Published online 21st May, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Encountering challenges in academic writing is inevitable for first-year students who are yet to become familiar with the writing patterns and structure. Students often struggle with the change; online learning and its advantages have not fully materialised due to the disruptions, familiarity, resistance, and problems associated with technology. The purpose of the study was to examine first-year students’ experience with the face-to-face learning model and blended learning model at TVET College in Western Cape South Africa.The study employed a mixed-method approach to collect data from the research participants. The online questionnaire was adopted as the instrument of data collection for the quantitative data and 185 participants completed the questionnaire. An interview schedule guide was the instrument of data collection for the qualitative data and twelve (12) students voluntarily participated in the semi-structured interviews. Findings from both the quantitative data and qualitative data revealed that mere technology is not as effective since integrating it into teaching approaches and providing students with interactive activities and collaboration can enhance their academic performance. Face-to-face contact remains a vital part of teaching and learning, and this conclusion emphasises that blended learning is a novel and valuable way to reach students, underscoring the combination of both face-to-face and online learning. This article makes an important contribution to higher education (HE) and learning models by examining the first-year students’ experience of learning models at a South African Technical and Vocational Education and Technology (TVET) college in the Western Cape.
Keywords: Blended Learning Applications, Distance Education, English Second Language, Face-to-face, First-year Students, Writing, Online learning.
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Angelo Meyers, PhD, is a student at the Faculty of Humanities at the Tshwane University of Technology based in South Africa, in the field of Applied Languages. He achieved his Master’s degree with distinction in Language Practice. His areas of interest are in Educational Linguistics, Language Testing, Student and academic development, Academic Literacy, Writing and Academic Advising.
Cornelia Smith, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Languages at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa. Her areas of specialisation are English and Education. She has published in accredited journals and has supervised postgraduate students.
Madoda Cekiso, PhD, is a full Professor in the Department of Applied Languages at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa. His areas of specialisation is Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, and Onomastics. He has published several articles in national and international journals and has supervised many masters and doctoral students.
Meyers, Angelo, Cornelia Smith & Madoda Cekiso. “Face-To-Face Versus Online Learning: First-Year Students’ Experiences of Academic Writing,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.5 (2024): 784-797. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245516
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
