EFFECTIVENESS OF VIRTUAL VS. NON-VIRTUAL TEACHING IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION OF IRANIAN UNDERGRADUATE EFL STUDENTS
Abstract
Virtual learning, in particular, has been defined as any system of education and instruction that brings together
participants who are separated by geographical distances or time. Notably, in virtual learning environment
interactive telecommunications systems are utilized to connect learners, resources, and instructors.
Accordingly, the present study sought to investigate the significant effect of virtual teaching on improving
reading comprehension of undergraduate EFL university students. To this end, from the population of
students majoring in English translation, at Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran, one control group, one
virtual class, and one blended group were selected, each consisting of thirty participants. Subsequently, the
virtual group was exposed to web-based technologies throughout the entire term while the students in the
control group were taught through traditional method. Moreover, the instructor in the blended group used
both traditional and innovative methods. The results of the t- test revealed that the group which was taught
through web-based technologies during the term progressed substantially in comparison with the other two
groups. Moreover, there appeared to be a significant difference between the pretest and posttest in the virtual
group. Evidently, the results of the present study may have practical implications for EFL teachers, online
instructors, distance education programmers, materials developers, and syllable designers.
Keywords
Blended learning, geographical distance, reading comprehension, virtual learning, web-based technologies
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