Investigating the attitudes of EFL Iraqi learners towards on line learning during Covid 19 pandemic

Abstract

The emergent situation of Covid-19 pandemic has affected all countries around the world. In fact, people from all different walks of life have been troubled by this outbreak. The educational systems as well have been imposed to transmit from on-site to on-line learning with poor preparation. Regarding the present educational situation, this study has been conducted with the aim of investigating the attitudes of EFL Iraqi learners towards on- line learning during Covid-19 pandemic. A descriptive research design has been used in this study. The study sample consists of (89) preparatory school students at Dr. Ali Al-Wardi high school for boys in Najaf – Iraq. The data have been collected by a questionnaire which consists of fifteen close ended items with three Likert scale: agree – neutral – disagree. These items include two essential topic areas: first, students’ attitudes towards on-line learning (10 items), second, difficulties with on-line learning (6 items). The collected data were analysed via SPSS. The study results revealed that students welcome on-line learning during covid-19 pandemic and hold positive attitudes towards it. However, there are some drawbacks with on -line education concerning internet service/access, paying attention, workload, feasibility, and lack of social contact.