Investigating the Effect of Asynchronous E-learning on EFL Students’ Grammar Achievement
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Date
2022
Authors
Amina BENHARA
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Abstract
Mastering the English language grammar is a challenge for many EFL learners. This urges
teachers to find out more effective and contemporary methods to help them overcome this
problem. Accordingly, this study is designed to investigate the effect of asynchronous elearning
on
EFL
students’
grammar
achievement.
Therefore,
it
is
hypothesized
that
if
teachers
integrate
an asynchronous e-learning program along with traditional grammar courses, EFL
students will score better on their achievement tests compared to those who follow purely inclass
courses. The study used a mixed-method approach to check empirically the extent to
which this technology-based tool contributes to upgrading or degrading EFL students’
performance in grammar tests. It was conducted at the English department of Batna 2 University
during the academic year 2018/2019 with two 1st year classes assigned to a control group, that
received a traditional grammar syllabus, and an experimental group that took equally the same
syllabus assisted with extra asynchronous courses posted on a Google Classroom platform, with
a sample size of 38 students in each. To attain the research requirements, a readiness
questionnaire was emailed to the experimental group to check the students’ preparedness to
study through an AEL program. Its findings recall scheduling some computing sessions before
starting the grammar classes so that students would be able to cope with the digital learning
activities. The course of the study spanned over six months, distributed between three phases:
pre-experimental, experimental, and post-experimental. To compare both groups’ grammar
achievements, a quasi-experimental design was adopted, made up of an in-class pre-test,
progress, and a post-test. Following the post-test outcomes’, a questionnaire has been given to
the experimental group students to inspect their standpoints towards their grammar performance
after the experience of the asynchronous program. The experiment was also backed by
observation sessions through which the researcher collected information about students’
performance in both groups all over the experiment course. The findings were descriptively and
statistically analyzed. The final results showed that the experimental group scored better than
the control group, and the score difference was statistically significant. Therefore, it could be
concluded that asynchronous e-learning is effective for improving learners’ grammar
achievement.