Effectiveness of SPOC-based eclectic blended approach to enhancing Chinese EFL college students’ oral English communicative competence

Proficiency in English communication is essential for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners to achieve a better social and academic life, greater employment options, and enhanced workplace competitiveness. However, traditional face-to-face (F2F) teaching often limits interaction opportunities, restricting adequate input, output, scaffolding, and knowledge co-construction. To address this, a Small Private Online Course (SPOC)-based eclectic blended approach developed on principled eclecticism was proposed in this study. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with an experimental group (EG, N = 24) using the SPOC-based eclectic blended approach and a control group (CG, N = 24) using the conventional F2F eclectic approach. The results demonstrated that the EG showed significantly greater improvement in oral English performance. Moreover, learners reported high satisfaction with the SPOC-based eclectic blended approach’s effectiveness and interactive environment, though interviews revealed some implementation challenges. Accordingly, four pedagogical implications were proposed. This study concludes that the SPOC-based eclectic blended approach is a significant and adaptable model for enhancing oral communicative competence in Asian EFL contexts.