Neuro-Cognitive Aspects of Using Online Platforms in Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital technologies in education has reshaped the landscape of foreign language instruction, making the use of online platforms increasingly important in contemporary educational practice. As online learning environments have become increasingly integrated into higher education, there is a growing need to enhance understanding of the ways innovative, technology-mediated approaches are used to support foreign language development, foster learner autonomy, and improve engagement in English as a Foreign Language (hereinafter – EFL) contexts. Despite the growing body of research on the subject-matter in question, limited empirical evidence is provided concerning the effectiveness of different technology-enhanced instructional models in comparative studies. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of flipped-blended learning, task-based language teaching integrated with sociocultural principles and traditional teacher-centered instruction. The latter were tested in terms of their effectiveness in developing EFL learners’ communicative competence, learner autonomy, self-regulation, metacognitive awareness, and language learning strategies. An experimental action research based on mixed methods was employed at two Ukrainian universities. It involved 69 undergraduate EFL learners divided into three groups. The data were collected through communicative competence assessments, a learner autonomy questionnaire, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. The intervention group 1 received flipped classroom instruction in a blended mode. The students were offered the option to complete interactive online exercises, take adaptive quizzes, join synchronous speaking labs, and create reflective e-portfolios. Intervention group 2 was working in compliance with a multimodal task-based model supported by sociocultural principles, completing a range of collaborative digital tasks. The control group was taught through conventional, teacher-led instruction with limited technological integration. As a result, the students of all three groups demonstrated positive achievements, yet the intervention group 2 revealed the most noticeable ones. The changes mainly affected their foreign communicative competence and metacognitive awareness development. In addition, the learners advanced in using diverse learning strategies and were more engaged in the learning process. On the contrary, the considerable growth in self-reflection and management of digital tools was seen in the intervention group 1. Finally, the control group made slow progress. These outcomes indicate that technology-enhanced task-based language teaching supported by sociocultural principles brings the strongest results for developing communicative competence, learner autonomy, and learner engagement. On the contrary, flipped-blended learning is particularly effective in promoting reflective learning and the self-regulated use of digital tools. Regarding the quality and depth of foreign language instruction, the research demonstrates the feasibility of innovative approaches to foreign language teaching using online platforms. However, their efficiency is enhanced when they align with established methodological approaches, such as the sociocultural approach and task-based language teaching (hereinafter – TBLT). Although the results are partially interpreted from a neurocognitive perspective, the study did not use direct cognitive or neuroscientific procedures.