Learning Outcomes of Blended Learning in Business English Education: A Systematic Review of Major Categories, Assessment Approaches, and Supportive Factors (2020-2025)
Keywords:
Systematic literature review; Blended learning; Business English education; Learning outcomes; PRISMAAbstract
Blended learning has increasingly gained attention in higher education, especially in applied language fields like Business English. Yet research evidence on its actual learning outcomes remains fragmented and inconsistent. Therefore, a systematic literature review was carried out in line with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. This study investigates the classifications of learning outcomes, measurement approaches, and the supportive factors that enhance these outcomes in blended Business English education. Boolean search strings that combined key terms, including “blended learning”, “Business English”, “learning outcomes”, and “higher education”, were employed across databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and ERIC. After applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, sixteen studies published between 2020 and 2025 were selected. Qualitative content analysis and thematic synthesis were employed to identify major types of learning outcomes, their assessment approaches, and the supportive factors associated with them. Our analysis reveals that language proficiency and academic performance continue to be the main indicators. Meanwhile, recent studies have begun to pay greater attention to comprehensive competencies, including higher-order thinking abilities and professional communication skills. As for assessment, learning outcomes are generally assessed by using mixed-method approaches, yet existing measurement frameworks remain fragmented and lack consistency in evaluation. Additionally, blended Business English learning outcomes appear to be shaped by interrelated technological, instructional, and learner-related factors. Overall, these results demonstrate that it is necessary to develop more standardized learning outcome frameworks, design more methodologically rigorous research with diverse participant groups, and further explore how different supportive mechanisms function together in blended Business English learning contexts.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.4.2
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