Intervention strategies to increase student participation in a low-resourced blended learning and teaching environment

Intervention strategies to increase student participation in a low-resourced blended learning and teaching environment | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Intervention strategies to increase student participation in a low-resourced blended learning and teaching environment Masabata Anna Thakaso This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5541624/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates intervention strategies aimed at enhancing student participation in blended learning and teaching, particularly in low-resource environments. With the increasing adoption of blended learning methodologies, many students face challenges related to access and affordability of technological resources, which can hinder their engagement in the educational process. This research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to explore students’ experiences and challenges within blended learning frameworks. Data was collected from 801 students to assess their access to devices and Internet connectivity, followed by a focused intervention involving twenty students who received flash drives and On-the-Go (OTG) adapters to facilitate access to learning materials. The findings revealed significant improvements in student engagement and academic performance because of the intervention, indicating the effectiveness of affordable strategies and overcoming barriers to participation. This research contributes valuable insights for educational institutions aiming to implement cost-effective solutions that foster equitable access to blended learning resources, enhancing student learning outcomes and promoting greater participation. Blended learning Student participation intervention strategies Affordable education Technological resources Digital literacy Active learning Cost-effective solutions Learning environment Engagement strategies Educational accessibility Online learning Teaching methodologies Student engagement Low-resource Settings Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 02 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 20 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 08 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 06 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 06 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 29 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5541624","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":449776135,"identity":"54d5df40-e717-4101-a209-ee461fa3720a","order_by":0,"name":"Masabata Anna Thakaso","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCQZmCIO9geEDUTp44Fp4DjDOIFGLRAKRWuylmx8b/PhjE80/841h4w8GO3kG/sMP8Nsic8w4sbctLXfG7RzDZh6GZMMGhmMGBByWYHyAt+FwbsPtHPPHDAzMCQyMDYS0pH8++OfP4dz5N8+AHFafwMDMjj/keCRyjJN52A7nbrjBY9jAw3A4gYGNh4AtN3KKjWWBftl4Jq2wmcfguGEbD08BXi3sM9I3S775Y5M77/jhjY0/Kqrl+fmPb8CrBQ0AncRGivpRMApGwSgYBdgBAGkxQrwrNL7AAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"University of the Free State","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Masabata","middleName":"Anna","lastName":"Thakaso","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-11-28 10:23:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5541624/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5541624/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":81795136,"identity":"47f627a2-93ae-4eb0-9d88-9a9348d22bbd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-02 03:21:46","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":673619,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptThakasoMasabata.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5541624/v1_covered_0cb7595d-b3d3-4fec-9255-7ab73762f162.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eIntervention strategies to increase student participation in a low-resourced blended learning and teaching environment\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diedu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Education](https://www.springer.com/journal/44217)","snPcode":"44217","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44217/3","title":"Discover Education","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Blended learning, Student participation, intervention strategies, Affordable education, Technological resources, Digital literacy, Active learning, Cost-effective solutions, Learning environment, Engagement strategies, Educational accessibility, Online learning, Teaching methodologies, Student engagement, Low-resource Settings","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5541624/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5541624/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study investigates intervention strategies aimed at enhancing student participation in blended learning and teaching, particularly in low-resource environments. 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