Hossein Siahpoosh - Department of English Language, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran
Zeianb Mahdavi - Department of English Language, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran

The current study set out to examine the effect of pair and group virtual interaction in online classrooms on the development of speaking abilities of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. This investigation was based on the quantitative data collected based on quasi-experimental design.  In order to do so, ۴۵ students were chosen based on their scores on the CEFR placement test. These students were then divided into two experimental groups, namely group work and pair work as well as a control group who worked individually. Students had to participate in the IELTS Speaking test twice as pre-test and post-test. The course was held on the Skype platform for five weeks. Each session consisted of ۴۵ minutes of speaking practice using the Talk a Lot textbook and ۲۰ minutes of discussion. In order to compare the means of three independent groups, Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to compare pre-test and post-test results. The Post hoc test was used for multiple comparisons and the mean differences of groups. The findings indicated that there is a significant difference between the experimental groups and the control group regarding the effect of group and pair work in online classrooms on the speaking ability of EFL learners. According to the study findings, students who participated in pair and group work training in online classrooms had greater speaking performance than those who only received individual learning. Keywords:

group virtual interactions, individual work, online learning, pair virtual interactions, speaking ability, virtual interaction, group virtual interactions, individual work, online learning, pair virtual interactions, speaking ability, virtual interaction