Investigating the Impact of Blended Learning on Kurdish EFL Learners’ Speaking Skills at Two Selected Universities in Kurdistan

Abstract

The current study aims to investigate the impact of blended learning on learners’ speaking skills. Blended learning combines traditional or face-to-face learning with online or electronic learning. The study compares students’ performance in traditional and blended classes. The samples were 190 second-stage students in the academic year 2021-2022 selected from the English departments at Soran and Salahaddin Universities, who studied. The study used a quasi-experimental method to collect data. Based on the mentioned method, there are two groups, the control group, which follows the traditional method and the experimental group, which is taught by blended learning. The results reveal that students' speaking skills improved in both groups. However, the students’ performance who experienced blended learning in the experimental group showed better performance than those who studied the traditional method in the control group, one of the reasons could be the accessibility to authentic material.