Hakimeh Davoodi; Mohsen O.Jaghi
Abstract
Despite its theoretical importance, there is a scarcity of experimental research into the effectiveness of internet-based applications in the English classroom context. The present study, using a mixed-methods design, aimed at examining whether online applications, including Adobe Connect and BigBlueButton, ...
Read More
Despite its theoretical importance, there is a scarcity of experimental research into the effectiveness of internet-based applications in the English classroom context. The present study, using a mixed-methods design, aimed at examining whether online applications, including Adobe Connect and BigBlueButton, could improve writing. In doing so, a pool of 34 pre-intermediate students participated in the study based on convenience sampling, and a pool of six students participated in the qualitative phase of the study based on purposive sampling. IELTS task 2 band descriptor and semi-structured interviews were used to gather the data. One-way ANCOVA, theme-based categorization, and inter-coder reliability were conducted to analyze the data. The results confirmed that there was a statistically significant difference between the two experimental groups; the Adobe Connect group showed higher scores than the BigBlueButton group with respect to written communication skills. Following inter-coder reliability, ten common themes were elicited from the interviews, including innovative, fruitful in learning collocations, challenging, useful for distance learning, colorful, and bad internet connection. Ultimately, practical implications were provided for students and teachers.
Hajar Mohammadzadeh; Sepideh Rahimpour
Abstract
The present study, following a sequential mixed-methods design, aimed at examining whether internet-based applications, including Big-BlueButton and Skype online instruction differ in terms of communication anxiety and oral communication skills for EFL learners. A pool of 32 Iranian pre-intermediate ...
Read More
The present study, following a sequential mixed-methods design, aimed at examining whether internet-based applications, including Big-BlueButton and Skype online instruction differ in terms of communication anxiety and oral communication skills for EFL learners. A pool of 32 Iranian pre-intermediate EFL students participated in the quantitative phase of the study based on convenience sampling and a pool of nine students participated in the qualitative phase of the study based on purposive sampling. The results of one-way ANCOVA confirmed that there was a significant difference between the Skype group and the BigBlueBottom group in terms of communication anxiety and oral communication skills. Following inter-coder reliability, the most common themes (i.e., novel, challenging, motivating, less stressful, helpful, low internet speed, lack of equipment, and time-consuming) emerged from the students’ responses to the interview questions regarding the role of online learning on oral communication skills. Finally, some practical impli-cations were offered for EFL students and teachers, and some suggestions were made for conducting further studies.
