The Effect of Blended Instruction on Student Performance - A Meta-Analysis of 106 Empirical Studies

Oct 15, 2026

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Blended instruction integrating offline and online teaching has become a key tool for educational reform, yet prior empirical findings on student performance remain inconsistent. This evidence-based meta-analysis quantitatively synthesizes 106 experimental and quasi-experimental studies published from January 2000 to September 2021 in China and abroad to assess overall effectiveness and influencing factors. Results show a summary effect size of 0.669 and stronger benefits by education level, duration, class size, online composition and interaction patterns, and specific teaching methods.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background and rationale

Prior research findings and contradictions

The Effect of Blended Instruction on Student Performance: A Meta-Analysis of 106 Empirical Studies from China and Abroad Baomin Li, 1 Qing Yu, 1 Fenglei Yang2 1. Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China 2. School of Computer Engineering and Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China Abstract. Blended instruction integrating off-line and on-line teaching has become an important instrument for promoting educational reform and innovation. However, the results of current empirical studies diverge on the effect of blended instruction on student performance, which necessitates further research on the effectiveness of blended instruction and related factors. This study, using an evidence-based meta-analytical approach, conducts a quantitative analysis of 106 experimental and quasi- experimental studies published from January 2000 to September 2021 in China and abroad, and systematically examines the effectiveness of blended instruction. The research finds that: i) The summary effect size (ES) of the included sample is 0.669 (n=142), indicating that blended instruction has above-moderate positive effects on student performance, especially on student learning motivation and academic emotions and attitude; ii) In terms of education levels, experimental periods and class sizes, blended instruction has the most significant positive effect on junior and senior secondary school students, on a teaching period from one to three months, and on a class size of 51 to 100 students; iii) Regarding the proportion and interactive patterns of online teaching, 50% composition of online teaching and synchronous or synchronous + asynchronous interaction exert the most significant positive effects on student learning. iv) Teaching methods including task-driven learning, role-playing, inquiry-based teaching, and case-based teaching have greater positive effects on student performance than other methods. Group study yields a greater effect on promoting student learning compared to individual study. Based on the findings, the present study also makes suggestions for the effective practice of blended instruction. | Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2022; 10(1):1395-1403.
Doi: [10.15354/bece.22.ar018](10.15354/bece.22.ar018). | | --- | | How to Cite: Li, B., Yu, Q., & Yang, F. (2022). The effect of blended instruction on student performance: A meta-analysis of 106 empirical studies from China and
abroad. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 10(2):1395-1403. | Keywords: Blended Instruction, Blended Learning, On-Line Learning, Student Performance, Meta-Analysis About Authors: Baomin Li, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China. E-mail: [lbmlinda@126.com](lbmlinda@126.com) Qing Yu, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China. E-mail: [2429560977@qq.com](2429560977@qq.com) Correspondence to: Fenglei Yang, School of Computer Engineering and Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, [China. E-mail:](China. E-mail: flyang@shu.edu.cn)[ f](China. E-mail: flyang@shu.edu.cn)[lyang@shu.edu.cn](China. E-mail: flyang@shu.edu.cn) [Conflict of Interests](Conflict of Interests: None)[: None](Conflict of Interests: None). © 2022 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. Introduction BLENDED instruction, a combination of traditional face-to-face and online teaching, has prevailed worldwide since 2020. Through effective instructional design and technological application, it integrates the two teaching mod

FAQs

What does the meta-analysis evaluate about blended instruction?

It assesses the overall effectiveness of blended instruction on student performance and examines related factors behind differing findings.

What is the main quantitative result regarding student performance?

The included studies yield a summary effect size of 0.669, indicating a above-moderate positive effect on student performance.

Which teaching conditions and methods show stronger positive effects?

Stronger effects appear for junior and senior secondary students, teaching periods of one to three months, class sizes of 51 to 100, online teaching compositions of 50% with synchronous or synchronous plus asynchronous interaction, and methods such as task-driven, role-playing, inquiry-based, and case-based teaching.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr