Innovation in Language Learning

Grammar has long been a crucial part of language teaching. Moreover, it is regarded as one of the essential components of written discourse that makes writing even more daunting. In most language teaching situations, especially EFL settings, there is limited practice time and out-of-class exposure. Consequently, students are often uninspired and frustrated when struggling with grammar. The emergence of open-source web-based virtual learning environments (VLEs) and the growth of social networks such as Facebook, online educational forums, chat rooms, wikis, and blogs over the World Wide Web have brought new insights into using computers in educational settings. Furthermore, VLEs make it possible for L2 instructors to build an optimal classroom, which is interactive, contextualized, authentic, and it can provide students with anytime anywhere access to the learning content. Although regarding the overall effectiveness of technology in language learning, there is evidence suggesting that technology-based language instruction can be as effective as teacher-delivered instruction, there still few pieces of research done on the effectiveness of this technology in ESL/EFL contexts and not much research has been conducted on its application to grammar instruction. This study investigated the effect of using two different VLEs (WordPress and Moodle) in order to find which one is the most effective for grammar instruction. To that end, 50 (22 male and 28 female) intermediate students were selected from two intact classes in an English institute in Tehran, and they were randomly assigned to two experimental groups, in the first group students received grammar instruction via Moodle and in the other they received the same instruction in Wordpress VLE for 100 hours of online instruction. The results of statistical analyses indicated that there was no significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups on grammar post-test, and neither of the VLEs (Wordpress vs. Moodle) was superior to the other in producing better grammar results. The researcher failed to reject the first null hypothesis. However, the results of two paired samples t-tests revealed that the learners’ grammar results had improved in both groups at the end of the study. Finally, the results of the two paired samples t-tests proved a significant difference between the grammar attitude survey responses of the pre-test and post-test and attitude towards grammar had significantly improved in both groups at the end of the study.

Keywords: Virtual Learning Environment, MOOC, E-learning, CALL

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