An Investigation of Undergraduate Students’ Use of Communication Skills in Online EFL Learning

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the level, preference, and use of communication skills among undergraduate students in an online EFL learning context and to examine whether there are significant differences according to their gender and mode of study. A survey method was applied through quantitative data collection. For this purpose, a questionnaire was distributed to 200 undergraduate students at a public university in China. The communication skills inventory consisted of 26 items, which were developed based on previous studies. Factor analysis was conducted to assess the reliability and validity. Findings indicated that the undergraduate students had a medium level of communication skills, with intercultural skills ranking the highest, followed by production and reception communication skills. In addition, there was no significant difference in the usage of communication skills among undergraduate students in terms of gender, but there was a significant difference in terms of the mode of study. Students used more communication skills in synchronous than in asynchronous online learning.