Student engagement in higher education is strongly associated with persistence and academic success, with engagement closely tied to students’ academic self-efficacy and sense of belonging within their institution (Tinto, 2023). Academic self-efficacy, grounded in Bandura’s (1977) social cognitive theory, influences the effort expended, whether coping strategies are initiated and the degree to which effort is sustained in the face of challenges. Alongside this, students’ social and affective connections with peers and faculty significantly shape progression and engagement (Tinto, 2023; Carrell, 2009). In blended higher education contexts, where interactional patterns differ from traditional face-to-face delivery, these dimensions of self-efficacy and belonging warrant closer examination.

This study explores student self-efficacy within a blended Professional Masters of Education programme in Ireland. In this context, “blended learning” is defined as programme delivery that combines online asynchronous and synchronous components with face-to-face elements. As blended delivery becomes increasingly prevalent in higher education in Ireland and internationally (Wiggers et al., 2023), further research into effective blended design and the measurement of student engagement is needed (Dixson, 2015; Muller et al., 2023). Engagement in blended contexts cannot be assumed; rather, it must be intentionally designed and critically examined (Brujin-Smolders & Prinsen, 2024 Garrison & Vaughan, 2008; Hutchings et al., 2011; Means et al., 2013).

While debates comparing blended and face-to-face modalities are often unproductive (Dyment & Downing, 2020), evidence suggests that blended learning can be as effective as, and sometimes more effective than, traditional delivery (Bernard et al., 2014; Boelens et al., 2017; Means et al., 2013; Strelan et al., 2020). Central to this argument is the notion that blended learning offers “the best of both worlds” (Arbaugh, 2014), particularly when asynchronous elements support flexible knowledge acquisition and synchronous face-to-face sessions facilitate higher-order thinking, application, and rich interaction (Akçayır & Akçayır, 2018; Buhl-Wiggers, 2023; O’Flaherty & Phillips, 2015). However, how students experience this “blend” and how it shapes their academic and social self-efficacy remain underexplored in postgraduate contexts in Ireland.

In this mixed-methods study, quantitative data was collected using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE; Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995) and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Online Learning (SeQoL; Tsai et al., 2020), the latter of which measures domain-specific self-efficacy related to online academic tasks and social interactions. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to examine levels of self-efficacy across social and academic domains. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of students and analysed thematically to explore lived-experiences of blended teaching, learning, and assessment.

Findings indicate variation across domains of self-efficacy. While many students report confidence in managing academic tasks and independent study, lower levels of confidence are associated with initiating and sustaining peer interaction in online spaces. Students identify structured synchronous small-group sessions, timely peer and faculty feedback and peer support as critical supports for engagement and self-efficacy. Conversely, technical challenges, competing professional and academic commitments, and ambiguity in online communication are perceived as barriers. Importantly, students’ accounts underscore the relational dimension of self-efficacy: feelings of belonging and perceived faculty presence and feedback significantly shape confidence and persistence.

By integrating quantitative measures of self-efficacy with qualitative accounts of student experience, this study contributes nuanced insight into how blended programme design can either support or constrain engagement in higher education. The findings have implications for intentional design of blended programmes that foster both academic competence and social belonging.