Journal of Research in Techno-based Language Education
Volume:4 Issue: 3, Sep 2024

Developing students' grammatical knowledge is a vital purpose of EFL teachers. The current study examines the impact of computer-based instruction (CBI) using word order (WO) and gap-fill (GF) exercises compared to text-based instruction (TBI) on EFL students' grammatical knowledge. The quasi-experimental design with a pretest, posttest, and intervention was employed. Participants were elementary students selected through a placement test and randomly assigned to three groups in the Fall semester of 2022. Two experimental groups received CBI (WOG and GFG) while a control group (CG) received TBI. The groups took a pre-test on grammatical structures based on their textbook. The intervention, which included computer-based exercises and relevant websites for word order and gap-fill activities lasted for 16 sessions, followed by a grammar posttest. Data analysis revealed that both experimental groups (WOG, GFG) significantly outperformed the control group (TBI). Although there was no significant difference between the two experimental groups, the WOG group had a higher mean score than the GFG group in the post-test. The findings suggest that using both gap-fill and word order exercises is more effective than text-based instruction for learning grammar. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate gap-fill exercises into their grammar teaching strategies.