Implementation of Chinese Modern Literature Course Using Blended Learning Based on MOOC Platform to Cultivate Students’ Creative Thinking

Background and aim: Ongoing reforms in educational curricula, particularly in China, are reshaping the roles of teachers and students within the classroom. Cultivating students' creative thinking is a crucial aspect of liberal arts education. The aims of the research are to examine the implementation of the Chinese Modern Literature course and its effectiveness in promoting students' creative thinking and students' satisfaction with the course. Methodology: This study involved a sample of 30 first-year students, selected through cluster random sampling, from Zhoukou Normal University in Zhoukou City, Henan Province, China. The research employed the following instruments: 1) Chinese Modern Literature coursewith mean scores of 4.75 (SD=0.44) 2) eight lesson plans designed for blended learning based on a MOOC platform, demonstrating a high level of appropriateness with mean scores range from of 4.76-4.89 (SD=0.22-0.36); 3) a test assessing students’ creative thinking abilities in the Chinese modern literature course with reliability of 4.50 (SD=0.52); and 4) a questionnaire measuring students’ satisfaction with reliability of 4.62 (SD=0.63) The research administered both pre-test and post-test to assess students’ creative thinking and employed to assess students’ satisfaction. Data were collected and analyzed by means, standard deviation, a paired samples t-test, and a one-sample t-test. Results: The findings indicated that: (1) the data from the test of students’ creative thinking revealed that the mean scores of the post-test (M=40.30, S.D.=3.03) was higher than that of the pre-test (M=32.23, S.D.=4.93) at .01 level of statistical significance (t29=12.720, p=0.001); (2) the mean scores reflecting student satisfaction after completion of the course was 4.62 (SD=0.63), which was higher than the criterion of 70% at .01 level of statistical significance (t29= 18.530, p=.001), were found to be at a very high level. Conclusion: Students’ participation and performance in the Chinese modern literature course demonstrated significantly higher post-test scores compared to their pre-test scores. Furthermore, their satisfaction with the course, based on was reported at a very high level.