Student Engagement and their Voices: Exploring Think-Pair-Share in Blended Learning in Chinese Higher Education

Abstract

Blended learning has been widely implemented in higher education worldwide, and student engagement has become a key concern within this context. The Think-Pair-Share method has been extensively adopted for its potential to foster participation and interaction. However, student engagement is a multidimensional construct, encompassing cognitive, behavioural, and emotional dimensions, and research examining how TPS influences these distinct aspects remains limited. Most existing studies rely on quantitative data to validate the effects of Think-Pair-Share on student engagement and are predominantly situated in Western educational contexts. Thus, this study adopted a qualitative case study approach to investigate how Think-Pair-Share shapes cognitive, behavioural, and emotional engagement in a blended English class at a Chinese university. Data were collected from classroom observations, interviews, and students’ learning journals, and were analysed thematically through iterative coding. The participants were enrolled in a blended English course where the instructor systematically integrated TPS activities into both online and face-to-face instruction. The findings revealed that, in terms of behavioural engagement, the Think-Pair-Share was an external regulator that shifts learners from passive recipients to active participants. Cognitively, TPS was a cognitive scaffold that deepens knowledge construction through dialogic interaction. Emotionally, TPS was a social tool that connects learners by transforming isolated individuals into collaborative peers. Nevertheless, Chinese undergraduates considered TPS more engaging than traditional lectures, yet they perceived it as time-consuming. Although students acknowledged the value of TPS in stimulating critical thinking and expanding perspectives, they expressed scepticism regarding its direct contribution to examinations. These findings highlight a persistent tension between collaborative learning and exam-oriented assessment in Chinese higher education. The study, therefore, calls for a systemic reform of evaluation frameworks in Chinese higher education to better align assessment practices with the goals of student-centred pedagogies such as Think-Pair-Share.