The effect of different online education modes on the English language learning of media studies students

The implementation of e-learning methods and their efficiency in the process of teaching English for specific purposes, particularly media and journalism, is a rather new phenomenon in Central Europe. The experiment conducted within this study was focused on the efficiency of e-learning and blended-learning modes. We created three groups of students with diverse modes of online education used in each group. The first group (18 students) was educated through the purely e-learning way, the second group (20 students) was taught through the classical face-to-face method, and the third group (18 students) through the blended-learning approach. The online education mode included interactive webinars with a native speaker who was providing live feedback on students’ assignments. Within the study programme of media/journalism the blended-learning mode seems to be the most efficient. Comparing the results of pre-tests to post-tests enabled us to specify the language skills which were improved in the three test groups. Scores of the students in all the four investigated areas (i.e. reading, speaking, listening and vocabulary) increased significantly in the blended-learning group. The vocabulary was the most improved language skill observed in both groups, meaning the e-learning as well as classic group. On the other hand, the online method resulted to an observable improvement in students’ performance as far as for the listening and speaking skills as it might simulate their future workplace.