Does the mode of teaching affect learning English Language at university level?

Abstract

Many undergraduates enrolling in the English intensive course at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura find it challenging to achieve the outcome of improving English writing skills expected of them. In this study, we explored whether different delivery modes (face to face, online and blended) influenced their outcome achievement. Three tutors of English taught the same content to three groups of students using face-to-face, online and blended modes over two months in the Department of English Language Teaching in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. With the face to face mode continuing as a control group (n=20), the blended (n=20) and online (n=20) groups received six online modules and four quizzes on writing. While the online group received all lessons and quizzes online with no face to face instructions, the blended group received 70% of the course materials online with six face to face lessons to cover up the balance 30% of the course modules. The control group too received the same writing learning lesson materials and practiced these only in their face to face classes. While the three groups showed the performance as Blended mean score=42.75, Online mean score=39.35, Face to face mean score =43.95 at the pre-test having sixty fill in the blank questions in dialogue completion, the course-end test (of sixty fill in the blank questions in a similar dialogue completion exercise) showed the blended group participants to have scored significantly increased marks (mean score=50.85, t=-9.181, p=.000), compared to their counterparts (Online mean score=46.10, t= -5.465, p=.000, Face to face mean score =49.05, t= -6.144, p=000) at the significance level of p < .005. This study, with further confirmatory evidence, can have implications for teaching English writing in the context of teaching English as a second language in higher education.