A comparative study of traditional instruction and blended learning in Saudi ARAMCO mathematics courses

Saudi Aramco, an industrial organization in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, conducts extensive training of new employees, using both traditional instruction and blended learning. The relative value of each approach is not known for trainees in an industrial situation. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effect of using instructor-led training and blended learning approaches on student mastery of mathematics skills in training centers. A quasi-experimental investigation was conducted to compare Saudi Aramco student achievement in a technical mathematics course taught by two alternative methods: blended learning and traditional instruction. During a 50-day training period, a sample of 54 trainees received mathematics instruction using traditional techniques, and a sample of 51 trainees participated in the blended learning technique of instruction. A test of prior knowledge and a posttest in mathematics were administered to all participating trainees. The test of prior learning demonstrated equivalence of the two groups before training. The scores of the posttest for the two groups were collected for analysis, and the t-test of independent samples was used to determine any existing differences in mathematics achievement between the two groups. Results demonstrated significantly higher posttest scores for the blended learning group (t(103) = 3.98, p < .001). Blended learning appears to be more effective than traditional instruction for technical mathematics. Recommendations include replicating the current study with other trainees and in different training contexts, and determining attitudes of mathematics instructors toward using blended learning. Conducting a similar study in the Arabian Gulf States where the culture is similar to the culture of Saudi Arabia may reveal useful results.