Combined and Differential Effects of Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Teaching OnDeveloping Ielts Listening Techniques in the Age of Covid-19 and Beyond:The Case of Advanced Turkish Efl Learners

Technology is usually considered an inseparable part of english language learning and teaching. it has smoothed the way in any english language course. in particular, since the covid-19 pandemic, online education has become indispensable across the globe. as a result, both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning modes have come into vogue. synchronous learning happens in real-time. this means that the instructor and learners interact in a specific virtual place at a set time (e.g., video conferencing, live chatting, teleconferencing, and live-streamed lectures). on the other hand, asynchronous learning happens on learners schedule, so as long as they meet the expected deadlines, they can access materials provided by the instructor and study them at their own pace (e.g., pre-recorded video content, self-guided lesson modules, virtual libraries, and social media platforms or online discussion boards). this study has addressed these two modes, with a further focus on their combined form in teaching ielts listening techniques. to this end, 60 advanced turkish efl learners in global english language school in istanbul, turkey, were selected from among 80 earlier subjects as efl learners based on the results obtained from the proficiency test given. the participants were randomly assigned to three groups to experience three online teaching modes: synchronous, asynchronous, and their combination. they were then exposed to teaching ielts listening techniques over 5 weeks. finally, their ability to answer ielts listening questions was measured quantitatively with an authentic ielts listening test from cambridge esol, which was also given as a pre-test to the participants in order to ensure their homogeneity before treatment application. the results revealed that the combined group did significantly better than the synchronous and asynchronous groups in the post-test. accordingly, it is suggested that both synchronous and asynchronous modes can be regarded as complementary approaches to teaching ielts listening techniques.

Combined and Differential Effects of Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Teaching onDeveloping IELTS Listening Techniques in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond:The Case of Advanced Turkish EFL Learners

Technology is usually considered an inseparable part of English language learning and teaching. It has smoothed the way in any English language course. In particular, since the Covid-19 pandemic, online education has become indispensable across the globe. As a result, both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning modes have come into vogue. Synchronous learning happens in real-time. This means that the instructor and learners interact in a specific virtual place at a set time (e.g., video conferencing, live chatting, teleconferencing, and live-streamed lectures). On the other hand, asynchronous learning happens on learners schedule, so as long as they meet the expected deadlines, they can access materials provided by the instructor and study them at their own pace (e.g., pre-recorded video content, self-guided lesson modules, virtual libraries, and social media platforms or online discussion boards). This study has addressed these two modes, with a further focus on their combined form in teaching IELTS listening techniques. To this end, 60 advanced Turkish EFL learners in Global English language school in Istanbul, Turkey, were selected from among 80 earlier subjects as EFL learners based on the results obtained from the proficiency test given. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups to experience three online teaching modes: synchronous, asynchronous, and their combination. They were then exposed to teaching IELTS listening techniques over 5 weeks. Finally, their ability to answer IELTS listening questions was measured quantitatively with an authentic IELTS listening test from Cambridge ESOL, which was also given as a pre-test to the participants in order to ensure their homogeneity before treatment application. The results revealed that the combined group did significantly better than the synchronous and asynchronous groups in the post-test. Accordingly, it is suggested that both synchronous and asynchronous modes can be regarded as complementary approaches to teaching IELTS listening techniques.