Student Perception of Face-to-Face vs. Online Language Training: The Case of Adult Learners in Latvia

Since the spring of 2020, practically all educational institutions have transferred instruction online. However, questions remain about whether online learning is as effective as face-to-face (F2F) one. This is especially relevant in the case of non-formal adult education, as students have competing demands on their time, established learning habits, and their relationship with a training provider is short-term. This paper compares results of students’ evaluation of teaching (SET) collected from two adult learner cohorts of similar demographic characteristics. While both cohorts had English language courses of the same core content and volume, one studied F2F, the other online. A Likert-type questionnaire form is used for the analysis. Analysis of the results from both groups reveals no statistically significant differences in students’ opinions. Moreover, students are consistent in their overall favorable attitude to both learning formats. A very slight preference towards F2F format is detected in some aspects of the course.