Exploring language teachers’ cognition on blended learning: a case study in a Chinese college

Abstract

In the context of the digital transformation of higher education, blended learning has become a key direction in language teaching reform. In this process of change, language teachers’ cognition on blended learning significantly shapes how reform is implemented and sustained. While existing research has largely focused on the effectiveness of blended models or teachers’ technology acceptance, far less attention has been paid to how language teachers’ cognition actually evolves over the course of reform, particularly from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) perspective.
This qualitative case study examined the cognitive development of eight English teachers at a Chinese college over three semesters. Drawing primarily on ethnographic interviews, supplemented by classroom observations and document analysis, the study traced how language teachers’ cognition unfolded and changed in response to blended learning initiatives.
Findings revealed that language teachers’ initial cognitive orientations toward blended learning clustered into three distinct states (the Instrumental-Supplementary, the Pragmatic-Transitional and the Ecological-Integrative). Based on that, the cognitive development of participating teachers followed three pathways: Phase-Shift Development, Gradual Evolution and Stability Maintenance. The study further identified three features of such development (bounded presetting, contextual sensitivity and nonlinearity), and discussed the mechanisms driving these trajectories: perturbations trigger system disequilibrium; multilevel coupling connects teachers with different contexts; teacher agency mediates how perturbations are interpreted and responded to.
Thus, this research brings a CDST perspective to the study of language teacher cognition, which deepens understanding of the nonlinear, situated and agentic nature of teacher cognitive development. It also offers evidence-based implications that supporting teacher development requires building conducive ecologies that promote teacher agency, create productive perturbations and provide matched support.

Date of Award	14 Nov 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Nottingham
Supervisor	Anwei Feng (Supervisor) & Christine Lee Seow Ching (Supervisor)