Comparing the Effectiveness of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and Flipped Instruction on EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of massive open online course (MOOC) and flipped instruction on enhancing Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension. For that purpose, the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was given to 123 Iranian EFL students, 90 of whom were chosen and separated into different experimental groups (EGs) - MOOC (n = 30) and flipped (n = 30) - and a control group (CG) (n = 30). As a pretest, all chosen groups were given a reading test. The MOOC EG was then given the online-delivered treatment utilizing Skyroom, in which a reading text was taught to the experimental participants online for every session. At a specific time, the online class was held and one text was worked, and the teacher explained the text online and the students asked their questions and problems immediately. The instruction was implemented to the flipped EG through a flipped instruction. They were sent the messages over WhatsApp since they all had quick access to it. The students were asked to practice and learn the texts both individually and in pairs before participating in the face-to-face class. The CG, on the other hand, was not given the Internet-delivered intervention; instead, they were instructed in a traditional face-to-face classroom. When the students attended the class, the teacher provided some background knowledge for them and then he started reading and translating the text, provided the meanings and definitions of the new words. Twelve English texts were taught to each group, and after teaching all texts, the posttest of reading was carried out to all three groups to determine the usefulness of the treatment on their reading comprehension. The one-way ANOVA test findings revealed a significant difference between the posttests of the EGs and the CG. The results showed that the EGs considerably outperformed the CG in the reading posttest (p.05). Furthermore, the findings revealed that there was no substantial difference between the posttests of the MOOC and the flipped groups.