Abstract
This study explores pedagogical challenges pertaining to the new online English Language Teaching (ELT) practices that emerged due to the covid-19 pandemic outbreak and the subsequent worldwide lockdown. Based on an explanatory sequential, mixed methods, descriptive research design, quantitative and qualitative data from 265 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in the Saudi context were collected by utilising a custom designed, twenty-two items on a psychometric five-point Likert items, open-ended questions, and a questionnaire. The quantitative data were statistically analysed using SPSS whereas the qualitative textual data were analysed employing the grounded theory. The findings of the study indicate that EFL teachers regard full scale online teaching as a challenging endeavour; however, a valuable and indispensable tool in language teaching, especially, during the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, most of the participants prefer to receive more professional development opportunities based on real life teaching experiences in online ELT. The study presents suggestions and recommendations for further research.
Highlights
Online learning has taken an unprecedented new turn with the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic where most instructions at tertiary level institutions in Saudi Arabia and worldwide have been delivered online (Jena, 2020)
This study explores pedagogical challenges pertaining to the new online English Language Teaching (ELT) practices that emerged due to the covid-19 pandemic outbreak and the subsequent worldwide lockdown
This study aimed at shedding light into the issue of full transformation from an onsite face-to-face teaching setting to an online, distance education setting in the Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context
Summary
Online learning has taken an unprecedented new turn with the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic where most instructions at tertiary level institutions in Saudi Arabia and worldwide have been delivered online (Jena, 2020). Such a new stretch of online pedagogical practices has brought several parameters where face-to-face onsite learning was ceased abruptly, and teachers were confronted with this new phenomenon of full-scale online teaching. The pedagogical delivery of English as a Foreign Language on a face-to-face or onsite educational environment requires different protocols to achieve the optimum language acquisition by the language learners to that of online learning (Castle & McGuire, 2010). These parameters are fundamentally different due to the fact that the physical, mental as well as the teaching and learning resources are characterized in various ways and the delivery of lessons and their management in an online setting to that of an onsite setting, are undoubtedly different (Hoffmann & Dudjak, 2012)
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