Blended Learning and Sociodemographic Factors in Learning English as a Second Language in High School Education

Current educational processes require updating of adolescent learning methods, which demand effective and relevant procedures, especially based on the use of technology. This study tests Blended Learning (hereafter BL) as a means to strengthen learning English as a second language and takes as a reference of application two groups (experimental and control) during an academic semester in public institutions of high school education (EMS), located in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, on the US-Mexico border. The results of the research were obtained as follows: firstly, the application of a survey to identify various sociodemographic factors (sex, socioeconomic level, type of family, number and type of family members who speak English, level of proficiency in English, language, participants who have lived and studied in the United States, average time of use of ICT in their language and English, hobbies in English, and work and study activities); secondly, the verification of the academic effectiveness of the BL (experimental group) and of the traditional method (control group); thirdly, the analysis of results of the experimental group through a pre-test and a post-test; and last and in fourth place, the study of the likely influence of sociodemographic factors on the academic performance of the participants. The research concludes with the identification of benefits of BL and challenges the effects of various elements of the student's social environment on the achievement of English language learning.