The Effect of Moodle-Mediated Instruction on the Reading Comprehension of Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

Web-based devices and applications which have the potential to increase the motivation and engagement of students to in language learning have attracted much attention among the ELT community. On the brand new web-based technological devices which have been employed for the educational purposes is the Moodle, an open source virtual learning environment. Given the significance of technology in general and the potentially influential role of the E-learning Moodle in second language learning, the present study investigates the effect of Moodle-mediated second language instruction on the reading comprehension of Iranian EFL students. In so doing, the EFL learners of two classes of English majors in an Islamic Azad university in Iran were recruited as the participants of the study. The students in the experimental group (n=18) made use of blended learning in which Moodle was added to in-class instruction, whereas the learners in the control group (n=21) were taught traditionally in which the learners just made use of in-class instruction. The experiment lasted for a period of one semester. The statistical analysis of the data revealed that the experimental group students outperformed those of the control group in terms of reading comprehension. The findings have significant implications for second language instruction.