On-Line vs. Face-to-Face Development of Interactive English Oral Competence: An Empirical Contrastive Study

Abstract

This article presents a comparative empirical study of the effectiveness of a traditional face-to-face classroom vs. on-line technology for developing interactive oral English competence. The motivation for this study comes from the Clark – Kozma debate regarding the role and effectiveness of digital media in language learning. This question is updated to reflect the nature of modern technology and the way in which languages are currently taught. The learning scenario used for this experiment is presented, the results of which show that while the on-line group did not improve their oral competence as much as the face-to-face group, this was arguably due to behavioural patterns and the related practical difficulties experienced on-line. The authors conclude that, following Kozma’s line of reasoning, ICT-based distance learning of second languages can be as effective as face-to-face learning only when measurements are taken to change the behavioural habits of students and to help them acquire the group discipline that these on-line environments demand.Keywordse-learning platformsmedium of instructionblended learningsecond language distance learninginteractive oral competence