The Effects of Web-based Language Learning on University Students’ Grammar Proficiency

Abstract

Many believe that integrative grammar teaching is the best method to be used in teaching and learning English. Since Malaysian education system emphasizes on the application of ICT in all classes, many teachers and educators have integrated technology in their English classes, including the application of World Wide Web. Web-based language learning (WBLL) materials have been among the favorite materials to be used by English teachers since they are abundant, easily accessed, user-friendly and most importantly, they are provided for free. One of the objectives of the study is to determine the effects of learning passive voices in three different English classes which applied three different modes of teaching, which were the traditional face-to-face method, integrative method (traditional and web- based materials) and web-based learning method. Furthermore, it is aimed to investigate the effects of gender in each mode of teaching and also to determine the best method in learning grammar. The pretest-posttest study was conducted in a public university and it involved 93 semester two students (52 females and 41 males). All groups were exposed to one mode of teaching only for four weeks. The results indicated that there is significant difference in both tests for all modes used. Furthermore, it was found that gender did not give any effect on the students’ performance in the posttest when each mode of teaching was applied. Lastly, the integration method was found to be the best method to be used among all the three teaching modes.