Enhancing EFL Grammatical Competence of Health Science Technology Students through Online Instruction

Abstract

Grammar competence plays a vital role in the academic and professional development of Health Science Technology students by supporting effective academic writing, disciplinary communication, and professional documentation. In response to the increasing use of digital learning in higher education, this study examined the effectiveness of online grammar instruction in improving the grammatical competence of Health Science Technology students. A one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was employed with 40 undergraduate students. Participants completed a structured online grammar program that incorporated explicit grammar instruction, guided practice, interactive learning activities, performance-based tasks, and continuous formative feedback. Grammatical competence was assessed before and after the intervention using a validated and reliable grammar test covering five domains: syntax, subject–verb agreement, tense and aspect, articles and determiners, and prepositions. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests and effect size measures. The results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in overall grammatical competence and across all five grammatical domains following the intervention. The greatest improvements were observed in syntax, subject–verb agreement, tense and aspect, and prepositions, indicating the effectiveness of structured online grammar instruction. These findings suggest that well-designed online grammar instruction can support the development of grammatical competence among Health Science Technology students and may serve as a valuable component of technology-enhanced language instruction in higher education.