FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ONLINE ROLES IN EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING

Abstract

Nearly all facets of life, including language instruction, have been impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic and the devastating earthquake in February 2023. Consequently, remote education, also known as e-learning or virtual learning, has taken over as the standard offering in numerous contexts. In this regard, remote teaching practices have been preferred in many higher education institutions. However, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the evolving educational practices during this period requires an awareness of how pupils respond to this change. In the course of the emergency remote teaching, language learners' conceptions of instruction and learning were examined using a metaphor analysis approach. For this purpose, a semi-structured form utilizing the Turkish university students' metaphorical concepts regarding their roles in online learning, along with an open-ended questionnaire where participants shared their background information, was employed. Data collected from 56 foreign language learners from different departments at a state university in Turkey was analysed using elicited metaphor analysis. The results showed that foreign language learners used a variety of metaphors, which were categorized as passive recipient, independent learner, flexible person, ineffective consumer, lazy individual, and lost guide, suggesting both favourable and unfavourable dispositions toward emergency remote teaching. In light of the research results, several recommendations and implications were provided.