Abstract

Learning environments have turned to a hot discussion among language scholars. Very popular nowadays, blended learning is not a new concept. It enjoys the advantages of face-to-face classrooms and virtual learning. This study is an attempt to discover whether conventional or blended learning environments can better enhance the reading comprehension for EFL learners. 107 Iranian students majoring in English at Abadeh Islamic Azad University and Zand Institute of Higher Education in Shiraz were selected. A reading comprehension test was administered as the pretest. Then, the participants were put in control and experimental groups. For the treatment, the experimental group received the instruction in the classroom and had assignments through virtual environments whereas the control group had the instruction and assignments in conventional mode. A post-test of reading comprehension was administered, and the participants' performances in both tests were compared. The results indicated blending traditional classroom instruction with technology can help learners outperform in their reading comprehension.

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