A comparison of learning outcomes between EFL course delivery modes

Abstract

This paper reports on a mixed-methods classroom study that compared the effectiveness of three adult English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course delivery modes - face-to-face group classes, face-to-face one-to-one tuition, and online self-study - for language learning. Learning outcomes from learners' language-related episodes (LREs), instances in which students "talk about the language they are producing, question their language use, or other- or self-correct" (Swain "Focus on Form" 70) were observed as learners completed the same task in their respective course delivery modes: learner-learner dyads in face-to-face classes, learnerteacher dyads in one-to-one classes, and individuals in online self-study. Learning was operationalized in two ways: firstly, by identifying instances of microgenetic development - that is, observable changes in a learner's knowledge - within learners' LREs; and secondly, by analysing responses to a delayed post-test. The results indicate that significantly more microgenetic development took place in one-to-one interaction between teachers and learners, which was characterised by scaffolded support and learner uptake, than in pair-work or selfstudy. While little microgenetic development was evident in the think-aloud protocols of selfstudy learners, the methodological constraint of employing a think-aloud protocol to observe individual LREs may have made observing development more difficult. Learners' post-test responses revealed that one-to-one and self-study learners attempted a significantly higher proportion of test items relating to LREs produced in the task than group learners, suggesting stronger associations between languaging and learning in teacher-learner interaction and independent study than in pair-work. Pedagogical recommendations are proposed for maximising learning potential in all three modes.