ArticlePDF Available

Online Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic: How Has This New Situation Affected Students' Oral Communication Skills?

Authors:

Abstract and Figures

Employing technology has become imperative to accelerate learning efforts and offer methods to enhance interactions between learners, and among learners and tutors. In this paper, we investigate the difficulties faced by learners in learning virtually and, specifically, in English language learning, with a focus on oral communication skills. Research questions of this study are related to the main difficulties that students face to enhance their English oral communication skills. The tools and methodologies that worked best for them for this purpose are also in focus. In the literature we present a review of pertinent studies connected with learning responses in the Covid-19 period and those specifically related to the topic of our study. The methodology used for the study was an exploratory survey research design using a questionnaire to collect the necessary data for our research. Results showed that students highlighted technical problems as some of the main challenges, as well as not feeling completely comfortable in the online learning environment due to the lack of real communication, which also had an impact in the perception of their progress. They also found group video or audio calls to be the most useful tool for communication purposes. The results of this preliminary study are relevant to educational developers and policymakers. They give an understanding of aspects to be considered to improve the efficacy of learners' when it comes to enhancing their English communication skills, such as difficulties regarding interaction or level of satisfaction in an online learning environment.
Content may be subject to copyright.
30
National Research University Higher School ofEconomics
Journal of Language & Education Volume 7, Issue 4, 2021
Research Articles This article is published under the Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Online Learning During the
Covid-19 Pandemic: How Has This
New Situation Affected Students’
Oral Communication Skills?
Elena Alcalde Peñalver, Jesús García Laborda
University of Alcalá
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Elena Alcalde, Pl. de San Diego, s/n, 28801
Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. E-mail: e.alcalde@uah.es
Employing technology has become imperative to accelerate learning efforts and offer methods
to enhance interactions between learners, and among learners and tutors. In this paper, we
investigate the difculties faced by learners in learning virtually and, specically, in English
language learning, with a focus on oral communication skills. Research questions of this
study are related to the main difculties that students face to enhance their English oral
communication skills. The tools and methodologies that worked best for them for this purpose
are also in focus. In the literature we present a review of pertinent studies connected with
learning responses in the Covid-19 period and those specically related to the topic of our
study. The methodology used for the study was an exploratory survey research design using
a questionnaire to collect the necessary data for our research. Results showed that students
highlighted technical problems as some of the main challenges, as well as not feeling completely
comfortable in the online learning environment due to the lack of real communication, which
also had an impact in the perception of their progress. They also found group video or audio
calls to be the most useful tool for communication purposes. The results of this preliminary
study are relevant to educational developers and policymakers. They give an understanding of
aspects to be considered to improve the efcacy of learners’ when it comes to enhancing their
English communication skills, such as difculties regarding interaction or level of satisfaction
in an online learning environment.
Keywords: communication skills, Covid-19, e-learning, English as a foreign language,
technology
Introduction
People worldwide were stunned after the emergence of Covid-19, which started in the city of Wuhan, China, in
November 2019 and then became a global pandemic. Since then, the name of the disease has unfortunately
gone from not existing before February 2020 to being part of the daily vocabulary for the vast majority of the
world’s people (Piller et al., 2020).
The education sector was not immune to these impacts. Following restrictions on physical contact imposed on
students and teachers in their schools, the initial educational responses adopted in various countries were
school closures and the delivery of online teaching and learning. Presently, faculties have converted their
curricula to an online or at least hybrid environment based on a daily or weekly in-person attendance. Even in
cases where face-to-face learning has been restored (even partially), the possibility of being able to provide
content through an online platform and to be prepared for a totally virtual scenario has also been the norm
(Maloney & Kim, 2020)1.
Unfortunately, this transition to the online environment has not generally been a demonstration of good
online pedagogy (Dreamson, 2020; Hirsch, & Allison, 20202) for many higher education institutions around the
globe (Wotto, 2020) in not just a few cases due to teachers’ constraints and personal issues (Cutri & Mena,
1 Maloney, E. J. & Kim, J. (2020). 15 Fall Scenarios. Inside Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/learn-
ing-innovation/15-fall-scenarios
2 Hirsch, E., & Allison, C. (2020). Do your materials measure up? remote learning underscores the need for quality curriculum. Learning
Professional, 41(4), 28-31
Alcalde Peñalver, E., & García Laborda, J. (2021). Online Learning During
the Covid-19 Pandemic: How has this new situation affected students’ oral
communication skills? Journal of Language and Education, 7(4), 30-41.https://
doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.11940
31
ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
2020; Perrotta & Bohan, 2020; Romero-Ivanova et al., 2020) which has been generally overcome through the
teachers’ increase in self-efficacy (Gültekin et al., 2020). Indeed, shifting classes online so quickly became a
“double-edged sword” that raised many questions related to privacy, equipment for both teachers and students
and teaching and learning methods (Atrey, 20203; Park & Kim, 2020). At the University of Alcalá (Madrid, Spain),
where this study was developed, the situation was no different and all teaching activity had to be adapted to an
online environment in which the platform BlackBoard Collaborate started to be used for all the classes that
were taking place in the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 (UAH, 2020a4). The health situation
in Spain improved during the summer and uncertainty prevailed on what the teaching modality would be for
the new semester starting in September 2020. Finally, as a preventive measure and also considering the
possibilities of having a second wave during the fall, which has actually been the case, a hybrid scenario was
adopted and half of the classes have been physically taught with considerable security measures, whereas the
rest have been online (UAH, 2020b5).
Thus, given this situation, this study aimed to explore the use of technology and its impact on communication
skills in learning English as a foreign language during the Covid-19 period specifically at this university.
Technology has definitely been a way to reach people, especially learners, during this challenging period in
many parts of the world (Jang & Choi, 2020), but it can also entail some problems when it comes to enhancing
communication skills, which should always be at the center of the teaching and learningprocess of foreign
languages (Myslihaka, 2016). Therefore, these were the Research Questions (RQ) we aimed to answer with our
study: RQ1: What were the main challenges students encountered when communicating in English in an online
setting?RQ2:What perceptions do students have of the tools and methodologies that have worked best to
enhance their English oral communication skills in English in an online setting? These were the Research
Objectives (RO) established in line with the above mentioned RQs:
RO1: To analyse students’ main challenges when communicating in English in an online setting.
RO2: To analyse students’ perceptions of the tools and methodologies that worked best to enhance their oral
communication skills in English.
To answer these questions, first of all this paper opens with a general introduction to the Covid-19 pandemic in
which the core issues of the research study are described. The difficulties facing students and teachers regarding
online teaching and learning are presented through a literature review of relevant works that relate to teaching,
learning and educational responses during the Covid-19 period. The analysis of this literature sheds light on
the initial responses and obstacles to the use of technology in this period. Then the methodology used to
present some preliminary results on how this situation has affected students’ oral communication skills in the
English foreign language classroom at the University of Alcalá will be explained. Results are subsequently
analysed and contrasted with the theoretical part of the paper. Finally, we conclude with some suggestions and
reflections to overcome the outlined difficulties.
Literature Review
Online education is a way of maintaining undisrupted learning and facilitating flexible learning during the
Covid-19 pandemic (Alhabshneh et al., 2020; Zaharah et al., 2020; Reimers & Schleicher, 20206; Zhang et al.,
2020; Basilaia et al., 2020; Kerres, 2020). However, the technological infrastructure has been identified as an
obstacle to effective delivery of online education. Alhabshneh et al. (2020) studied the education of dental
3 Atrey, S. (2020). Universities beware: Shifting classes online so quickly is a double-edged sword. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.
com/education/2020/may/20/universities-beware-shifting-classes-online-so-quickly-is-a-double-edged-sword
4 UAH (2020a). Medidas de la UAH ante la situación provocada por el Covid-19 [Mesures of the University of Alcalá due to the Covid-19
pandemic]. http://portalcomunicacion.uah.es/diario-digital/actualidad/medidas-de-la-universidad-de-alcala-adoptadas-por-la-situaci-
on-provocada-por-el-covid-19.html
5 UAH (2020b). Nuevo curso académico en la Universidad de Alcalá con carácter semipresencial y medidas de seguridad en todos sus
centros [New academic year at the University of Alcalá with a blended-learning scenario and security measures in all faculties]. http://
portalcomunicacion.uah.es/diario-digital/actualidad/nuevo-curso-academico-en-la-universidad-de-alcala-con-caracter-semipresen-
cial-y-medidas-de-seguridad-en-todos-sus-centros
6 Reimers, F., & Schleicher, A. (2020). A framework to guide an education response to the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020. OECD. https://www.
hm.ee/sites/default/les/framework_guide_v1_002_harward.pdf.
32
ELENA ALCALDE PEÑALVER, JESÚS GARCÍA LABORDA
students during the pandemic and reviewed their online learning experiences, tele-dentistry and the
significance of implementing dental virtual simulation in preclinical/clinical courses. The study identified that
students and teachers faced challenges such as access to online learning equipment, internet connectivity and
a lack of technological skills. Zaharah et al. (2020) also examined the impact of the pandemic on e-learning/
teaching activities conducted using technological devices. The study identified difficulties such as the
unavailability of online academic systems, internet-connected devices and poor internet connections.
Different countries have been responding to the pandemic in various ways, ranging from a lack of response to
social isolation strategies and curriculum redevelopment for online learning (Crawford et al., 2020; Reimers &
Schleicher, 2020; Bao, 2020; Mulenga & Marban, 2020), which has in some cases been identified as an
impediment (Kanwar & Daniel, 20207). Crawford et al. (2020) studied the higher education digital responses of
20 countries during the pandemic. They claim that students and teachers are liable to face difficulties which
include different learning style preferences, a lack of social services and medical attention, and the
unavailability of efficient/suitable assessment and evaluation methods due to class sizes.
Reimers & Schleicher (2020) proposed an education response to support the exchange of knowledge at all
levels of educational governance during the outbreak. However, they identified difficulties such as the
unavailability of parents/guidance to aid virtual learning and teaching at home, the absence of communication
between teachers and parents to ensure learning is aligned with the curriculum, and inadequate relationships
with students. Bao (2020) studied the initiation of online teaching in higher education using Peking University’s
online education, noting that while teachers lacked preparation, virtual teaching experience, and assistance
from educational technology personnel, students also lacked learning materials, self-discipline and a good
learning environment at home.
Moreover, online education has an influence on the wellbeing or psychological nature of students (Sahu, 2020;
Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, 20208). Sahu (2020) analysed the impact of the outbreak
on the education and mental health of students and teachers and identified challenges such as a lack of
resources/infrastructure, the inability to monitor students during online tests to avoid cheating, a lack of
internet/accommodation facilities, resilience (Mays, 20209) and traumatic stress (Gross, 2020). Alhabshneh et
al. (2020) posited that students faced challenges such as class sizes, feelings of disconnectedness, a loss of
teacher immediacy and interpersonal interaction. Reimers & Schleicher (2020) and Zhang et al. (2020)
suggested that students often lacked the motivation, strategies, resilience, learning abilities and skills to
enhance individual and online learning, and they had poor emotional health and complex home-environments
for studying.
When it comes to language learning, since the outbreak of the pandemic various research studies have been
published on the many different issues that the process of adapting to this new situation has raised. However,
none of them have as their main focus the impact of the pandemic on oral communication skills. Regarding the
learning process, Wargadinata et al. (2020) described in their paper the shift in Arabic learning at their higher
education institution, which was transformed from a personal-cultural approach to an instrumental-functional
approach. In this case, students were more likely to use the video function through the Whatsapp application
and have peer-discussion activities. At a more psychological level, MacIntyre et al. (2020) studied language
teachers’ coping strategies during the Covid-19 conversion to online teaching and showed that this situation
had indeed resulted in high levels of stress for them, which undoubtedly also has a consequence on the students’
learning process. The report of the British Council (2020)10 also focused on teachers’ needs during the pandemic
and highlighted that they perceived online teaching to be more tiring for them as well as for students compared
to physical interaction. It also took them longer to plan their lessons and they believed that the success of
7 Kanwar, A., & Daniel, J. (2020). Report to commonwealth education ministers: From response to resilience. Commonwealth of Learning.
https://search-proquestcom.ezproxy.uned.es/docview/2458995621?accountid=14609
8 Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University. (2020). Handbook on facilitating exible learning during educational disruption:
The Chinese experience in maintaining undisrupted learning in Covid-19 outbreak. UNESCO International Research and Training Centre
for Rural Education.
9 Mays, T. (2020). Towards more resilient schooling: Possible models for the future. Commonwealth of Learning. https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uned.es/docview/2458993339?accountid=14609
10 British Council (2020). A survey of teacher and teacher educator needs during the Covid-19 pandemic April-May 2020. https://www.
teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/les/covid19-teacher-teacher-educator-survey.pdf
33
ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
online learning depended on students’ self-discipline. Some recommendations were also provided in this report
(p. 5), such as giving teachers opportunities to share learning, provide training and support on how to teach
remotely, provide clear guidance on how to choose platforms or develop material in combination with television,
radio and other ‘distance learning’ methods. Another study published by Sayer & Braun (2020) on the impact of
Covid-19 remote learning on English learners in the United States showed some socioeconomical disparities
due to the lack of preparation of some students to move to remote learning. Moreover, there were also some
communication challenges in this situation, since the online resources that were provided lacked the necessary
meaningful social interaction for language learning despite significant efforts in the second language classroom
(Altavilla, 2020). Another study also found that participation in a discussion in an online setting also depended
on how comfortable students felt when speaking in English, and some found it more difficult to communicate
complex ideas through texting or commenting functions and they preferred conversations with their teachers
and peers in person (Williams & Carhill-Poza, 202011). In this regard, Hartshorn and McMurry (2020) revealed,
among other findings, that the pandemic was more challenging for students than for teachers and it affected
their oral communication skills since they experienced less language development for speaking than for writing.
The Education Development Center (2020)12 also stated that teaching English online can be a struggle for both
teachers and learners since many of the strategies used do not translate into virtual environments, especially
with the implications that this situation has for the enhancement of oral communication skills. As for effective
tools for teaching English online during the pandemic, Destianingsih and Satria (2020) conducted a study in
which they found that students mainly preferred the use of Google Classroom compared to WhatsApp and
Zoom. Another study conducted by Altam (2020) revealed that students felt enthusiastic using social media to
learn English during this period and that they felt their language skills improved. In this same line of research,
Amuthan Krishnan et al. (2020) conducted a study to find out students’ perceptions regarding the use of blogs
and forum for English learning during the pandemic. The results show that students were eager to use these
resources and that it contributed to the overall acquisition of language skills. However, they all agreed that they
would prefer this to be combined with face-to-face classes.
Materials and Methods
Research Design
An exploratory survey research design was chosen for this study using a questionnaire to collect the necessary
data for our research. This method is exploratory since it aims to describe students’ perceptions in an issue that
has not been deeply examined to date, to shed some light and initiate further research in this respect. Moreover,
the research was cross-sectional since the data for the study was collected once and a mixed-method approach
was used with quantitative (numerical) as well as qualitative (students’ answers) data.
Participants
Participants were students from the Education Degree at the University of Alcalá who had a course of English
as a second language which requires upon completion a B2 level of language competence (19 participants out
of 24 students that were part of the class in total). The rest of students of the class did not participate because
they did not follow the process of continuous assessment in which class participation is required, and thus they
only take the final exam. All participants were aware of the aims and objectives of the study and accepted to
participate voluntarily.
Instruments
The survey used (Appendix 1) was adapted from two other existing ones that aimed to study issues in English
language learning (British Council, 2020) and perceptions of students in higher education institutions during
the Covid-19 pandemic (Demuyakor, 2020). It was subsequently validated by two Spanish university professors
11 Williams, T. P. & Carhill-Poza, A. (2020). For many immigrant students, remote learning during Covid-19 comes with more hurdles. The
Conversation. https://theconversation.com/for-many-immigrant-students-remote-learning-during-covid-19-comes-with-more-hur-
dles-144633
12 Education Development Center (2020). How is the Pandemic Affecting English Learners? https://www.edc.org/how-pandemic-affect-
ing-english-learners
34
ELENA ALCALDE PEÑALVER, JESÚS GARCÍA LABORDA
and anonymously distributed through a Google Form link to the participants.The reason why the questionnaire
was used is because it is an instrument that allows the researcher to collect a considerable volume of data
easily and quickly (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2019) and, in general, it is not an instrument that requires a lot of time
on the part of the participants, which is essential for them to be encouraged to participate and respond in the
most reliable and precise possible way. Results were analysed in a descriptive way, since this is considered a
preliminary research study to set the basis for further research in this topic in the future. This was done using
the numerical data from the survey as well as the qualitative answers added by respondents.
Results and Discussion
In this section we will analyze the results obtained through the distribution of the survey in order to answer the
RQs stated in the introduction of the paper. First of all, regarding the tools that students perceived as the best
to enhance their communication skills in English, group video or audio calls (which can take place via Zoom or
Skype for example) were perceived as the most useful ones (88,9%), followed by online games and materials
(50%) and mobile phone messaging and app messaging (33,3%) and social media (27,8%). Compared to what
studies cited in the theoretical part of our study stated (Destianingsih & Satria, 2020; Amuthan Krishan et al.,
2020), in which other tools were used that were not specifically oriented towards the enhancement of oral skills,
in this case the mentioned resources were more focused on the communication process in the online classroom.
However, according to students’ responses, teachers mainly used group video or audio calls, but social media
and gamified online content were not among their most used tools. Regarding their justification for these
options, students highlighted the lack of interaction, the feeling of having someone listening to you and
motivation as key aspects of the tools they find more useful for them. Some of these reasons were mentioned in
the studies conducted by Reimers & Schleicher (2020) and Zhang et al. (2020) as factors which can be
problematic when teaching online. However, in this case students perceived them as part of the justification of
why they thought that the tools they chose could be beneficial for their learning.
When asked about how easy or difficult they found communicating with their partners in class, Figure 1 shows
that the highest percentage of participants had an average perception about it.
Figure 1
Respondents’ Perceptions on How Easy or difficult it Was for Them to Communicate with Their partners in Class
21,1 36,8 36,8 5,3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2345
Percent
Scale: (1) Difficult to (5) Easy
How difficult or easy was it for you tocommunicate directly
with your teacher in your online English class?
However, when asked about this interaction with their teachers, results showed a higher difficulty (Figure 2),
which was also highlighted by Reimers & Schleicher (2020).
35
ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Figure 2
Respondents’ Perceptions on How Easy or Difficult it Was for Them to Communicate with Their Partners in Class
5,3 26,3 42,1 15,8 10,5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
12345
Percent
Scale: (1) Difficult to (5) Easy
How difficult or easy was it for you tocommunicate directly
with your partners in your online English class?
Regarding their confidence, results showed that 42.1% of participants had an average perception about how
difficult or easy it was to communicate directly with their partners in their online English class (Figure 3).
Figure 3
Respondents’ Level of Confidence when Speaking in an Online Class
5,3 36,8 21,1 31,6 5,3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
12345
Percent
Scale: (1) Confident to (5) Very Confident
How confident were you to speak in class while taking
online English lessons? (Scale 1 to 5)
In this sense, the main challenges that students faced while communicating in English were related to technical
problems (83,3%), the artificial environment (50%), feeling shy (50%) and too many distractions at home
(44.4%). The technological challenges seem thus to be a general factor of discomfort for the learning process,
as stated by previous studies (Zaharah et al., 2020).
When students were asked about their level of satisfaction with their oral communication skills in English after
taking an online class, none of them felt completely satisfied and the highest percentage of students showed a
low level (Figure 4).
36
ELENA ALCALDE PEÑALVER, JESÚS GARCÍA LABORDA
Figure 4
Respondents’ Level of Satisfaction with Their Oral Communication Skills in English after Taking an online Class
42,11 31,58 26,32
0
10
20
30
40
50
234
Percent
Scale: (1) Dissatisfied to (5) Very Satisfied
At the end of the semester, how dissatisfied or very satisfied
were you with your oral communication skills in
Englishafter taking an online class?
Students’ main concerns in this regard were related to connection problems and the lack of real communication”,
which did not allow them to speak as much as in a face-to-face class. This is in line with the results by previous
studies (Alhabshneh et al., 2020; Sahu, 2020).
When asked if they felt they had missed out on some learning opportunities to enhance their communication
skills, the lowest percentage corresponds to those who answered negatively, which shows that most of the
students felt as they were not getting as much as they would in a physical class (Figure 5). This is also in line
with the results of the study published by Hastshorn & McMurry (2020).
Figure 5
Respondents’ Perception about Having Missed Out on Some Learning Opportunities to Enhance their Communication
Skills
47,37%
15,79%
36,84%
Did you feel that whith English lessons you missed out on
some learning opportunites to enchance your
communications skills?
Yes
No
Maybe
37
ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Finally, regarding the main differences they felt that existed when comparing online and face-to-face lessons,
students highlighted again problems related to not feeling confident enough to speak in front of the computer,
the artificial environment of the online class and technical problems they had to face, which is also in
accordance with what was stated previous studies (Williams & Carhill-Poza, 2020).
These results allow us to answer the two RQs that we established in the introduction of our paper. First of all, to
answer RQ1, students highlighted technical problems as some of the main challenges, as well as not feeling
completely comfortable in the online learning environment due to the lack of real communication, feeling shy
and too many distractions at home which resulted in average results when asked about their level of satisfaction
with their oral communication skills after taking the online class. This also had a consequence in the perception
of their progress, since the majority felt that they had somehow missed out on some learning opportunities. In
this regard, more attention should be paid by universities in general to solving the technical problems that
students have been forced to deal with and also in providing teachers with training so as to tackle issues
relating to boosting students’ confidence when it comes to speaking in a foreign language in a virtual
environment.
Regarding RQ2, students found that group video or audio calls were the most useful tools due to the
communication component that enabled them to benefit from, followed by online games and materials. This is
in line with what was stated by Destianingsih and Satria (2020) regarding the use of Google Classroom, which
also allows students to use this kind of communication tools, or the study by Amuthan Krishnan et al. (2020) in
which results showed how students perceived online materials such as those published in blogs as very useful
to improve their language skills. However, only group video or audio calls were the most used tools by teachers,
and online games and materials were not among their preferred options. This data could be of interest for
future teaching considerations, since gamification has become a popular teaching methodology with many
learning benefits that can be considered also in the online classroom and includes some of the key aspects
highlighted by the respondents of our survey such as interaction and motivation.
Conclusion
The two aims of this paper were to analyse students’ main challenges when communicating in English in an
online setting as well as their perceptions about the tools and methodologies that worked best for them to
enhance their oral skills. In order to answer the research questions associated with these aims, first of all in our
introduction we reflected on the current situation of education and the changes that this pandemic has brought
to it. In the theoretical framework we reviewed the most recent literature related to our topic of analysis, which
allowed us to compare and contrast it with the results we obtained after distributing an online survey. These
results were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed to provide a preliminary basis on what the main
challenges that learning English online entails for enhancing students’ oral skills in English. According to these
results some of the main challenges students encountered were related to technological problems and the lack
of real communication in the online environment, which they perceived as artificial. As for the main tools and
methodologies, students found that group or audio calls, as well as gamified content were the ones that worked
best of them, but they reported a lack of gamification techniques used by teachers in the virtual classes.
Although this is just a preliminary study on how the pandemic has had an impact on communication skills for
students learning English as a second language, we believe that it provides an opportunity to challenge its
status quo and explore and reflect on new approaches to the delivery of quality education in this regard.
Regarding the limitations of the study, it must be said that the sample is limited and the study was only
conducted in one university. However, we believe that this type of research studies are of special relevance in
this period of time to educational developers and policymakers because it gives a preliminary understanding of
aspects that can be considered to improve the efficacy of learners’ and what teachers should consider in their
virtual classes when it comes to enhancing English oral communication skills.
Declaration of Competing Interest
None declared.
38
ELENA ALCALDE PEÑALVER, JESÚS GARCÍA LABORDA
References
Alhabshneh, R., Alibrahim, A., Abu-Alteen, T., Hamadah, W., & Khader, Y. Dental students’ education in the
era of Covid-19 pandemic: From reality to virtuality: Lessons to be learnt. Archives of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery, 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.36959/379/356
Altam, S. (2020). Influence of social media on EFL Yemeni learners in Indian Universities during Covid-19
Pandemic. Linguistics and Culture Review, 4(1), 35-47. https://doi.org/10.37028/lingcure.v4n1.19
Altavilla, J. (2020). How technology affects instruction for English learners. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(1), 18-23.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0031721720956841
Bao, W. (2020). Covid-19 and online teaching in higher education: A case study of Peking University. Human
Behavior & Emerging Technologies, 2, 113–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.191
Basilaia, G., Dgebuadze, M., Kantaria, M., & Chokhonelidze, G. (2020). Replacing the classic learning
form at universities as an immediate response to the Covid-19 virus infection in Georgia. International
Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology, 8(3), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.22214/
ijraset.2020.3021
Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Rudolph, J., Malkawi, B., Glowatz, M., Burton, R., Magni P., & Lam, S. (2020).
Covid-19: 20 countries’ higher education intra-period digital pedagogy responses. Journal of Applied Teaching
and Learning, 3(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.7
Cutri, R. M., & Mena, J. (2020). A critical reconceptualization of faculty readiness for online teaching. Distance
Education, 41(3), 361-380. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uned.es/10.1080/01587919.2020.1763167
Demuyakor, J. (2020). Coronavirus (Covid-19) and online learning in higher institutions of education: A survey
of the perceptions of Ghanaian international students in China. Online Journal of Communication and Media
Technologies, 10(3), e202018. https://doi.org/10.29333/ojcmt/8286
Dreamson, N. (2020). Online design education: Meta-connective pedagogy. International Journal of Art & Design
Education, 39(3), 483-497. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uned.es/10.1111/jade.12314
Destianingsih, A. & Satria, A. (2020). Investigating students’ needs for effective english online learning during
Covid-19 for polbeng students. ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching, 7(2), 147-
153. https://doi.org/10.31849/elt-lectura.v7i2.4657
Fraenkel, J. R. & Wallen, N. E. (2019). How to design and evaluate research in education. McGraw-Hill.
Gross, K. (2020). Can online learning be trauma-responsive? New England Journal of Higher Education. https://
search-proquest-com.ezproxy.uned.es/docview/2458993152?accountid=14609
Guillén, G., Sawin, T., & Avineri, N. (2020). Zooming out of the crisis: Language and human collaboration. Foreign
Language Annals, 53(2), 320-328. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uned.es/10.1111/flan.12459
Gültekin, O., Erkaplan, S., Uzun, H., & Güney, E. (2020). Investigation of academic staff’s self-efficacy using the
educational internet. Higher Education Studies, 10(3), 26-33. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v10n3p26
Hartshorn, K. J. & McMurry, B. L. (2020). The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on ESL learners and TESOL
practitioners in the United States. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(2), 140-156. https://doi.
org/10.46451/ijts.2020.09.11
Jang, I. C., & Choi, L. J. (2020). Staying connected during Covid-19: The social and communicative role of an
ethnic online community of Chinese international students in south Korea. Multilingua: Journal of Cross-
Cultural and Interlanguage Communication, 39(5), 541-552. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uned.es/10.1515/
multi-2020-0097
Kerres, M. (2020). Against all odds: Education in Germany coping with Covid-19. Postdigital Science and Education,
2(3), 1–5. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs42438-020-00130-7
Krishnan, I. A., Ching, H., Ramalingam, S., Maruthai, E., Kandasamy, P., Mello, G., Munian, S., & Ling, W. (2020).
Challenges of learning English in 21st century: Online vs.traditional during Covid-19. Malaysian Journal of
Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(9), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v5i9.494.
Li, J., Xie, P., Ai, B., & Li, L. (2020). Multilingual communication experiences of international students during the
Covid-19 pandemic. Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication, 39(5), 529-539.
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uned.es/10.1515/multi-2020-0116
MacIntyre, P. D., Gregersen, T., & Mercer, S. (2020). Language teachers’ coping strategies during the Covid-19
conversion to online teaching: Correlations with stress, wellbeing and negative emotions. System, 94, 102352.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102352
Mulenga, E., & Marban, J. (2020). Is Covid-19 the gateway for digital learning in mathematics education?
Contemporary Educational Technology, 12(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/7949
Myslihaka, L. (2016). Communication as the Center of Teaching/Learning Process of Foreign Languages (the
39
ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
case of French Language). European Journal of Multisdisciplinary Studies, 3(2), 147-154.
Park, C., & Kim, D. (2020). Perception of instructor presence and its effects on learning experience in online
classes. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 19, 475-488. https://doi.org/10.28945/4611
Perkins, K. (2020). Transforming STEM learning at scale: PhET interactive simulations. Childhood Education,
96(4), 42-49. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uned.es/10.1080/00094056.2020.1796451
Perrotta, K., & Bohan, C. H. (2020). A reflective study of online faculty teaching experiences in higher education.
Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, 3(1), 50-66. https://doi.org/10.36021/jethe.v3i1.9
Piller, I.; Zhang, J. & Li, J. (2020). Linguistic diversity in a time of crisis: Language challenges of the Covid-19
pandemic. Multilingua, 39(5), 503-515. https://doi.org/10.1515/multi-2020-0136
Romero-Ivanova, C., Shaughnessy, M., Otto, L., Taylor, E., & Watson, E. (2020). Digital practices & applications
in a Covid-19 culture. Higher Education Studies, 10(3), 80-87. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v10n3p80
Sahu, P. (2020). Closure of universities due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19): Impact on education
and mental health of students and academic staff. Open Access Review Article, 14(12), 1–6. https://dx.doi.
org/10.7759%2Fcureus.7541
Sayer, P. & Braun, D. (2020). The disparate impact of Covid-19 remote learning on English learners in the United
States. TESOL Journal, 11(3), e00546. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.546
Wargadinata, W., Maimunah, I., Febriani, S. R., Humaira, L. (2020). Mediated Arabic language learning for higher
education in Covid-19 situation. Izdiliar: Journal of Arabic Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature, 3(1),
59-78. https://doi.org/10.22219/jiz.v3il.11862
Wotto, M. (2020). The future high education distance learning in Canada, the United States, and France: Insights
from before Covid-19 secondary data analysis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49(2), 262-281.
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uned.es/10.1177/0047239520940624
Zaharah, Z. Kirilova, G. & Windarti, A. (2020). Impact of coronavirus outbreak towards teaching and learning
activities in Indonesia. SALAM: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Syar-i, 7(3), 269–282. https://doi.org/10.15408/
sjsbs.v7i3.15104
Zhang, W., Yang, Y., Wang, L., & Yang, C. (2020). Suspending classes without stopping learning: China’s education
emergency management policy in the Covid-19 outbreak. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 13(55),
1–6. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm13030055
40
ELENA ALCALDE PEÑALVER, JESÚS GARCÍA LABORDA
Appendix 1
Communication in English in online settings
Age Place of residence
Which tools did your teachers use to teach English remotely? (Tick all that apply)
Group video or audio calls (e.g. Zoom, Skype, etc.)
Recorded video and screencasts Slide presentations (e.g. PowerPoint)
Email
Phone calls
Social media (e.g. Facebook, Edmodo, etc.)
Other
Which tools worked best to enhance your communication skills in English? (Tick all that apply)
Group video or audio calls (e.g. Zoom, Skype, etc.)
Recorded video and screencasts Slide presentations (e.g. PowerPoint)
Email
Phone calls
Mobile phone messaging or app messaging
Online games and materials
Social media (e.g. Facebook, Edmodo, etc.)
Explain why the tools you chose in the previous question worked best for you.
How easy or difficult was it for you to communicate directly with your partners in your online English class?
(1 being very difficult and 5 very easy)
How easy or difficult was it for you to communicate directly with your teacher in your online English class?
(1 being very difficult and 5 very easy)
How confident were you to speak in class while taking online English lessons?
(1 being not confident at all and 5 very confident)
What were the top three biggest challenges you faced while communicating in English in your online class?
Artificial online environment I was not used to
Feeling shy
Too many distractions at home
Technical problems
General anxiety about the coronavirus pandemic
Other
At the end of the semester, how satisfied were you with your oral communication skills in English after taking
an online class?
(1 being not satisfied at all and 5 being very satisfied)
Provide a justification for your previous answer.
Did you feel that with online English lessons you missed out on some learning opportunities to enhance your
communication skills?
No Yes Maybe
41
ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Provide a justification for your previous answer.
What were the main differences that you experienced while taking online English lessons compared to face-
to-face learning regarding your oral communication skills in English?
Is there anything else you would like to tell us in relation to your experience learning English in an online
environment?
... As remote language education endeavors to adapt to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, innovative solutions are imperative (Sunita, 2020;Alcalde and García, 2021;Mavridi, 2022). DingTalk, a versatile online learning platform developed by Alibaba Group, emerges as a potent contender, integrating problem-based learning (PBL) principles within a virtual environment. ...
Article
Full-text available
Amidst the COVID-19, which has necessitated the widespread use of distant learning, there has been a notable increase in the recognition and utilization of inventive pedagogical methods and technological tools in the field of language teaching. The primary objective of this research is to assess the effects of DingTalk-based PBL on the business vocabulary growth of Chinese undergraduates during the pandemic, with a particular focus on remote learning environments. This mixed-methods research employed a sample of 58 participants. The study involved both quantitative vocabulary assessments and qualitative interviews. The quantitative assessments aimed to measure the impact on vocabulary scores, while qualitative interviews were conducted to gather insights into participants’ experiences and perceptions regarding DingTalk-based PBL. The quantitative assessment revealed a significant improvement in business vocabulary scores among the participants who underwent DingTalk-based PBL. This result indicates the platform’s potential to enhance language acquisition. The qualitative interviews provided further insights, with participants expressing positive attitudes toward DingTalk-based PBL. They emphasized its capacity to sustain engagement, foster collaboration, and bridge the gap between remote learning and effective language acquisition. These findings underscore the transformative potential of DingTalk-based PBL in language education, especially in the context of challenges posed by the pandemic. While recognizing the constraints of this study, such as its limited duration and restricted contextual applicability, the research encourages further investigation into sustainable vocabulary expansion, the development of multifaceted language abilities, and the integration of these platforms into emerging hybrid educational frameworks. This study makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourse regarding novel technology-based methods in language instruction, providing relevant insights applicable to both present and future educational contexts.
Article
Full-text available
This paper studies the short-term impact of full-scale invasion and military actions on students receiving ESL education in Ukraine. Our focus is on an online ongoing learning process in which students are involved and mostly distracted from gaining education due to extreme conditions. The study examined how the ongoing war affected the online learning experience of Ukrainian students at Ternopil National Pedagogical University through a survey and questionnaire. SWOT matrix has been used to reveal the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats of learning in wartime. Studies have shown that students are willing to continue their education even during wartime to obtain a qualification. Students often struggle with motivation and social, living, and technical distractions that impact academic performance. The findings suggest that the online tools employed in teaching and learning are sufficient for meeting the fundamental requirements for developing English as a Second Language (ESL) proficiency and fostering student autonomy. The participants expressed an interest in exploring the potential of a combined (online and offline) learning approach, provided the current situation allows it. The study suggests that instructors should personalise and differentiate learning by creating individual schedules, reducing the number of tasks for assessment, and allowing more flexibility in shifting deadlines. Ukrainian students have recognized the benefits of online learning, relaxed teacher attitudes, and effective class organization during wartime.
Article
Full-text available
Purpose: In order to contrast the trends in the literature regarding the subject of communication skills in higher-level students, main themes were identified that were emphasized before the pandemic and that, during and after it, ceased to be the subject of discussion. Methods: There was a qualitative approach. It used the narrative documentary review method and Boolean search engines in online indexed databases. From 421 identified articles, 20 were selected for analysis in the "before pandemic" condition and 24 for the "during and post-pandemic" ones, classifying them by type of Intervention and diagnosis and by research focus: qualitative and quantitative. Results and Conclusion: The pre-pandemic studies focused on elucidating the aspects associated with communication skills and academic performance, trying to design tools and implement strategies to improve communication performance in students. Finally, it is expected that educational institutions consider the relevance of implementing plans to reinforce and develop these soft skills in young people, maximizing technological resources as allies in improving their development in this globalized social context. Research implications: On the other hand, in the During and post-pandemic stages, they came together to explain the causes linked to the withdrawal of the expressive ability of the students, reconsidering the use of virtuality and highlighting the need to use traditional strategies as the best alternative to promote communicative skills. Originality/value: Study in the face of the overwhelming irruption of remote education as the only option for academic interaction.
Article
Full-text available
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education in general and teacher education in particular in various ways around the world. As teachers have played a leading role during the crisis, it is key that their voices be heard. Drawing on Vygotskian sociocultural theory as a framework for teacher professional development, this exploratory study seeks to make sense of the main adaptation challenges faced by 18 Spanish EFL teacher candidates in their learning-to-teach process in a practicum setting during the pandemic. Based on a narrative qualitative research design, a thematic content analysis was used for the qualitative data gathered through open-ended questions. Findings revealed that the crisis has resulted in teaching adaptation challenges in terms of traditional expository teaching models, difficulty in understanding and being understood as well as a lack of interaction and relationship with learners. Adaptability and reflective practice have proven to be key strategic features of professional competence in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) world. Keywords: VUCA world; learning-to-teach; adaptation challenges; adaptability; reflective practice
Article
Full-text available
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the educational landscape across the world, and it has caused significant disruptions in the teaching and learning process. English Language Learners (ELLs) are a vulnerable population that has been heavily impacted by this pandemic. The pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges for ELLs, such as limited access to technology, social isolation, and other difficulties. Despite the significant impact of COVID-19 on ELLs, there is a lack of research on the challenges they faced and the coping strategies they used to navigate the pandemic, which indicates a need to explore ELLs' unique experiences. The objective of this study, thus, is to examine the challenges faced by ELLs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the coping strategies they utilized to overcome these challenges. This study adopts a narrative review to synthesize and analyze existing literature on ELLs' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review identified several challenges faced by ELLs, including limited access to technology and reliable internet, and social isolation leading to lack of motivation and engagement. Feasible solutions to their challenges included having resources and support for technology and internet access, as well as having regular feedback and encouragement from their lecturers. The review accentuates the need for university personnel and educators to develop innovative and responsive strategies to support ELLs during the pandemic and beyond.
Article
Full-text available
Higher education has undergone substantial digital change due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which altered the status quo in education. Universities across the globe have initiated and adapted various course delivery modes to mitigate this unprecedented situation. Among these responses, online classes continue to be the most common. Therefore, this study examines institutional knowledge management and readiness to sustain online course delivery. Adopting a qualitative research design, this study used two methods, semi-structured interviews (n15) and online open questionnaires (n42), to gather data. Reflexive thematic analysis was then used to analyse the data. The study findings underline that the adaptability, flexibility, and approachability of the virtual learning experience are critical to determining an institution’s readiness for online classes. Based on student perceptions, the faculties of digital skills, integration of innovative pedagogies, student readiness, skills and experience, and integration of learning resources are the main aspects that determine the readiness of universities for online learning.
Article
Full-text available
Future of higher education is closely connected with degree programs in distance mode as it guarantees security and convenience for overseas students. With Chinese-Russian relations becoming closer, more Chinese students are majoring in translation and interpreting studies at Russian universities while staying in China, so universities should provide well-organized online interpreting classes to build professional interpreting competences. Purpose. This paper aims to assess possibility of developing basic communication competence of future interpreters from China through all-digital synchronous interpreting course in Russian educational environment. Methodology. The research was carried out among Master’s degree Chinese students and their trainers at Lomonosov Moscow State University, overall number of participants was 58. The set of tools included role playing performance evaluation, open discussion, assessment scales, questionnaires and interviews. Results. The study showed that communication skills of future Chinese interpreters can be sufficiently developed in synchronous all-digital interpreting course if good educational environment is provided. The results of the cross-semester examination as well as the questionnaire data confirm that interpreting classes in distance synchronous mode at Moscow State University promote developing of communication competence of Chinese major degree students. For this purpose, pedagogical technologies of the course should include online interactive tasks, role play activities, small-size group rooms, chats via video platforms as well as use of various digital translation technologies. The results of the survey also showed that open online discussions with Russian students have a positive impact on the development of Chinese students’ communication skills. The study also reveals that synchronous distance learning is preferable for Chinese students in turbulent periods of world history (epidemics, wars) as it guarantees sustainability and continuality of educational process. Practical implications. The results of the study can be applied in optimizing the organization process in professional higher education both in Russia and abroad. Under certain circumstances synchronous distance training can be the only choice for international higher education programs.
Book
Full-text available
This book covers original research on the implementation of open educational practices through the use of open educational resources at the university level. The emphasis on open education in this book is on contextualising resources, supporting student agency and fostering self-directed learning specifically within a South African milieu. The envisaged chapters cover conceptual and review research and empirical work focussing on open educational practices and the use of renewable assessments. The work starts off with an overview of an institutional-wide open education project that prompted the research followed by research on open education in terms of various modules in the health science, music education, law, philosophy, dietetics, anthropology, French language learning, journalism and political science. There is a clear gap in the literature on open education in terms of open educational practices, specifically in terms of contextualising resources, supporting student agency and fostering self-directed learning in a South African context. Despite the existence of some general works on open education in terms of policy, social justice and open textbooks, this book will be unique in exploring the intersections of openness, specifically with contextualisation, student agency and self-directedness.
Article
Full-text available
Despite the popularity of online course and degree offerings in higher education, a lack of data persists on the unique challenges and opportunities online faculty face. Gaining insights about these experiences is important to ensure the quality of online teaching as colleges and universities continue expanding e-learning programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the online teaching experiences of two faculty members through the implementation of reflective study methods. Major findings show that faculty access to professional development and mentoring, isolation and connectedness to the campus community, and academic freedom and curriculum control have significant implications for online teaching and student learning. In the wake of COVID-19 as colleges across the nation suddenly are faced with moving to exclusively online learning, this study is needed more than ever.
Article
Full-text available
______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Free online resources are user-friendly technologies which have become available through the Internet in recent years and gaining popularity during Covid-19. Since learners use smartphones, free online resources are easily accessible. Books are portable, but learners find it somewhat difficult to learn English language via books which may only be available in the classroom context, whereas free online resources are easily accessed. The purpose of this study is to identify learners' perception learning English via free online resources and traditional learning. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the present study. Twenty-five international pre-elementary intensive English students took part in this study. It was found that learners perceived the free online resources as valuable tools for learning English in relation to reading, conversation, and vocabulary and also free online resources help promote free learning norms in learning the English language. The learners also had constructive attitudes towards free online resources. Free online resources always provide a motivating learning environment, enhance learners' analytical and critical thinking skills, and encourage social interaction between teachers and learners, learners and their peers, and learners and other participants.
Article
Full-text available
Aim/Purpose: One of the most critical challenges to the student learning experience in online classes would be providing interactions between students and instructors as effective as in face-to-face learning. This study introduces perceived instructor presence as a way to promote such interactions and investigates its effects on student learning experience in online learning. Background: Drawing upon theories of constructivism and social presence, this study proposes a research model to explore the causal relationships from the interactivity of a communication tool to the perception of instructor presence and to student learning experiences such as engagement and satisfaction. Methodology: The survey method was used to collect data from online business classes where an interactive communication tool was required to use for class communication and collaboration. Partial Least Squares analysis was used as the primary data analysis tool. Contribution: This study introduces perceived instructor presence in the online learning context and empirically tests its effects on the online learning experience. This study also contributes to the online learning literature by confirming the constructivist’s point of view on learning that interactions lead to better learning experiences, in the online learning environment. Findings: The study results show that the use of an interactive communication tool in online learning fosters strong student-instructor interactions and promotes students’ perceptions of instructor presence, which eventually enhances student engagement and satisfaction in online classes. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study recommends practitioners (e.g., teachers and professors) to use more interactive communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack to promote the instructor presence in their online classes, which ultimately increase student engagement and satisfaction. Practitioners are also recommended to develop and use any other teaching methods or activities that can increase perceived instructor presence, which has a direct impact on student engagement in online learning. Recommendation for Researchers: While the fellow researchers can take one of the future research directions in this paper, it is recommended to consider more fundamental approaches to the study of online learning. For example, the concept of presence is a radical difference when courses are moved from face-to-face to online learning. Future research could investigate how various types of presence can play differently in online learning. Impact on Society: Better learning experiences are likely to have a significant impact on society’s well-being, and the findings of this study suggest how student learning experiences can be improved in online classes. Furthermore, this is particularly useful when many face-to-face classes were forced to switch to online classes abruptly during the COVID-19 pandemic as many students, parents, and educators were concerned with online learning experiences. Future Research: A replication study with different communication tools in various courses would be good future research to support the generalizability of the findings. Another interesting future research is to employ other types of dependent variables, such as tool adoption and academic performance. It would be worth investigating how different types of learning experiences can be associated with various learning tools. As this study finds that an interactive communication tool is associated with student engagement, gamification can be associated with student enjoyment in online learning.
Article
Full-text available
This article addresses reflections of one University instructor’s teaching and her pre-teacher education students’ innovative digital learning practices during the Covid-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. The question of How has one instructor embedded digital practices in her virtual teaching to engage and purposefully introduce and connect pre-teacher education students with diverse technologies and multimodalities of learning during a mandatory virtual instruction time? will be addressed and discussed. Student-centered practices such as group work, pair work, the use of Zoom breakout rooms, and multimodal literary responses through technology applications such as Flipgrid and Google Docs will be described and reflected upon. The instructor’s own teaching practices that have included weekly mentoring meetings with her education students and continuing individual coffee meetings in diverse settings will be highlighted as ways of demonstrating care and encouragement toward face-to-face students who have been transitioned as online students. The reflections outlined in this abstract draw upon the notion of technologies as providers of active interactions and will include snapshots of an instructors’ students’ digital artifacts such as Flipgrid, video-recorded monologues, and Google Doc news stories with students reflecting on the uses of multimodal technologies in their own future teaching practices. This manuscript will also include student reflections and a sidebar of suggestions for using Zoom with virtual teaching.
Article
Full-text available
The Covid-19 pandemic has had negative effects throughout the whole world, including education systems. To overcome this negativity, all educational institutions have turned to internet-based education. However, the educator’s self-efficacy is of more importance in this system. This study aimed to reveal the connection between the University academic staff’s genders, ages, titles (doctorate/non-doctorate), and work year characteristics and their self-efficacy beliefs about their educational Internet usage. The sample consists of 100 [51% (n = 51) female and 49% (n = 49) male] academic staff, who were selected according to convenience sampling in the Faculty of Education and Faculty of Sport Sciences at Uludag University. In this study, the “Educational Internet Usage Self-Efficacy Beliefs” scale, developed by Şahin (2009), was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics refer to number and percentage for qualitative variables; quantitative variables are summarized using mean, median, standard deviation, and minimum and maximum statistics. Univariate analyses used binary group comparisons with the Student’s t-test and relationships between numerical variables and Spearman correlation coefficients. Multiple regression analysis was used, in conjunction with the backward method, for the multivariate linear regression method. Analysis results alpha (Type I error) value was evaluated at the level of 0.05 significance. The mean level of self-efficacy belief of academic staff is 109,42. Since the highest score that can be obtained from the scale is 140, the relationships between scale score and age and duration of service variables are significant according to the univariate analysis, while differences in gender and PhD and non-PhD groups are not significant. When multiple linear regression analysis is applied with the backward stepwise method, age and academic title variables are significant in the model. Additionally, the mean scale scores of PhD academicians are higher than others.
Article
The aim of this study is to investigate the students needs for effective English online learning during Covid-19 for State Polytechnic of Bengkalis students. Descriptive survey method was used to find out the target needs and learning needs related to online learning. The data collection used was questionnaire with random samples of 116 students from five different study program. The result of the finding revealed that there were several tools that can be used during online class by considering both students and teachers internet access. The effective tools that can be utilized in explaining the subject and as the virtual tool to replace face to face meeting is Zoom application, while to share and submit the assignment the students preferred Google classroom and WhatsApp. Numerous activities and learning input are also highlighted in order to engage the students to be active in online class. The teachers roles in online class is pointed.
Article
Multilingual crisis communication has emerged as a global challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Global public health communication is characterized by the large-scale exclusion of linguistic minorities from timely high-quality information. The severe limitations of multilingual crisis communication that the COVID-19 crisis has laid bare result from the dominance of English-centric global mass communication; the longstanding devaluation of minoritized languages; and the failure to consider the importance of multilingual repertoires for building trust and resilient communities. These challenges, along with possible solutions, are explored in greater detail by the articles brought together in this special issue, which present case studies from China and the global Chinese diaspora. As such, the special issue constitutes not only an exploration of the sociolinguistics of the COVID-19 crisis but also a concerted effort to open a space for intercultural dialogue within sociolinguistics. We close by contending that, in order to learn lessons from COVID-19 and to be better prepared for future crises, sociolinguistics needs to include local knowledges and grassroots practices not only as objects of investigation but in its epistemologies; needs to diversify its knowledge base and the academic voices producing that knowledge base; and needs to re-enter dialogue with policy makers and activists.
Article
In response to federal policy and the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and districts are using technology to support students designated as English learners (ELs). However, school leaders and teachers have little guidance about how to implement technology effectively to foster these students’ language development and content instruction. To address this need, Jennifer Altavilla raises three concerns specific to technology use with ELs: (1) Technology accessibility and use are equally important, (2) Technologies have baked-in biases, (3) Technology should promote authentic social interaction.
Article
Teaching often is listed as one of the most stressful professions and being a language teacher triggers its own unique challenges. Response to the Covid-19 pandemic have created a long list of new stressors for teachers to deal with, including problems caused by the emergency conversion to online language teaching. This article examines the stress and coping responses of an international sample of over 600 language teachers who responded to an online survey in April, 2020. The survey measured stressors and 14 coping strategies grouped into two types, approach and avoidant. Substantial levels of stress were reported by teachers. Correlations show that positive psychological outcomes (wellbeing, health, happiness, resilience, and growth during trauma) correlated positively with approach coping and negatively with avoidant coping. Avoidant coping, however, consistently correlated (rs between .42 and .54) only with the negative outcomes (stress, anxiety, anger, sadness, and loneliness). In addition, ANOVA showed that although approach coping was consistently used across stress groups, avoidant coping increased as stress increased suggesting that there may be a cost to using avoidant coping strategies. Stepwise regression analyses using the 14 specific coping strategies showed a complex pattern of coping. Suggestions for avoiding avoidance coping strategies are offered.