ENGLISH TEACHING THROUGH DISTANCE EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITY OR THREAT?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine English teaching practices through distance education based on the experiences of English teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is a case study designed according to the qualitative research model. The study group of the research, which were determined through easily accessible case sampling, consists of 13 English teachers employed in public and private lower secondary schools. The data of the study were collected through a semi-structured interview form. Content analysis method was used to analyze the data. The main results of the research can be listed as follows: For most teachers, the course preparation process in distance education is more comprehensive and time-consuming than face-to-face education. However, there are also teachers who do not try too much to plan the process and stay away from technology. The positive reflections of the preparation process on the teaching process, such as providing a variety of methods, techniques, materials, activities and employing technology more, were observed. Teachers evaluate more on homework, student participation and effort. The majority of teachers find distance language teaching sustainable within the framework of their own experience. When the findings of the research are evaluated together, distance language teaching seems to have the potential to be an educational opportunity when it is carried out under appropriate conditions.