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Screening EFL Teachers’ and Learners’ Perceptions of Emergency Remote Teaching During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis

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Abstract

Virtual, distant, and blended learning are not unheard of and have been practiced in the English language teaching (ELT) context for quite a while; however, the abrupt shift to online education during COVID-19 was entirely different from the actual online education (Hodge et al. in Educause Review 27, 2020), and it should rather be named as emergency remote teaching (ERT). In effect, the present mixed-methods study aimed to screen English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of ERT classes as well as discovering the probable (non)alignment between their attitudes. Hence, 20 EFL teachers and 30 learners were invited for the qualitative phase of the study who underwent semi-structured interviews. Moreover, 34 EFL teachers and 70 learners participated in the quantitative phase by responding a self-report questionnaire on their experiences with ERT classes. The data from the questionnaire helped researchers gain a general profile of the participants’ attitudes as both groups expressed satisfaction with ERT which indicated relative alignment between their perceptions. The qualitative analysis of teachers’ data manifested two thematic categories: (1) engaging online EFL learners and (2) enhancing receptive and productive skills via online instruction. Besides, EFL learners’ data revealed their belief in (1) enhancing digital competence and technological knowledge and (2) improving communicative language learning through online instruction. The findings contributed to ELT teachers’ awareness of applying online instruction to elevate EFL learners’ technological knowledge, to improve teaching receptive and productive skills, and to create an interactive learning atmosphere through meticulous selection of tasks and activities in order for the learners to be passionately engaged in classroom communication.

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The questionnaire and transcription of interviews are accessible through email, Telegram, or Whats-app of the corresponding author. (hossein_isaee@yahoo.com).

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely would like to thank all the editors, managers, and reviewers of Human Arenas for offering us the opportunity to submit this manuscript. In addition, we would like to thank the participants for contributing to this study.

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  1. The Department of English Language and Literature, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran

    Hossein Isaee & Hamed Barjesteh

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  1. Hossein Isaee
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Contributions

Hossein Isaee, the corresponding author, was in charge of distributing the questionnaire, gathering data, and analyzing the quantitative data. He held the interview sessions, and wrote the main manuscript.

Professor Hamed Barjesteh, the co-author, translated the recorded interview into English and transcribed them, analyzed the qualitative data, prepared the results and did a major review.

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Correspondence to Hossein Isaee.

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Ethical Approval

Since the researchers of this study were closely involved with the participants during the interviews, it was necessary to give them an assurance that the study would never influence their personal lives. Here are some of the ethical issues identified throughout the current study: Confidentiality: all the information the researchers have recorded were stored safely and will never accessible by a third party for whatever purpose. Confidentiality: all the information the researchers have recorded were stored safely and will never accessible by a third party for whatever purpose. Anonymity: the participants will remain anonymous throughout the study and only the researchers know who participated and what their contributions were. Informed consent: the respondents were required to fill a consent form before embarking on any further process. They were also given full information at the beginning of the study about the research and its objectives. Do no harm: The study was free of any psychological or physical harm. Only assess relevant components: the participants had the right to answer the questions partly. Cultural competence: the verbalization took place in participants’ native language.

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Isaee, H., Barjesteh, H. Screening EFL Teachers’ and Learners’ Perceptions of Emergency Remote Teaching During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis. Hu Arenas (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-023-00353-7

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