Perceptions of Blended Learning Needs in Rural Schools

An Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA)

Abstract

This study employs Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) to complement the structural model in examining factors influencing the implementation of blended learning (BL) in rural secondary schools in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Results from the structural model indicated that all seven hypothesised relationships were statistically significant, establishing the relevance of all constructs to teachers’ perceptions of blended learning implementation. Building on these findings, IPMA is applied to further evaluate the relative importance and current performance of constructs namely affect, social factors, complexity, long-term consequences, job fit, facilitating conditions and technology readiness. Importance indicates the strength of the effect of each construct on BL implementation, whereas performance reflects the level of current implementation in practice. By jointly analysing these dimensions, the study highlights areas that are considered important but are not yet well implemented, suggesting where improvement efforts should be focused. The findings reveal that facilitating conditions, social factors, complexity and job fit emerge as priority areas, where improvements in performance are likely to yield the greatest impact on blended learning adoption, particularly within the rural school context examined in this study. Overall, the IPMA results offer practical and policy-relevant insights for educators, school administrators and policymakers by informing strategic resource allocation that is able to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of blended learning initiatives in rural settings.