Reflective Glimpses of Culture in EFL Online Classes during COVID-19 Pandemic in Oman

Abstract

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has made online learning the most on-demand fashion that almost the whole world aspires to navigate. Much of the literature on coronavirus-triggered online learning focuses on technological challenges, features of online learning platforms, teacher training, and professional development. However, an equally significant aspect that awaits researchers’ attention is interculturality in the online language classroom, particularly the presence of students’ cultural values in the virtual classroom environment in relation to teaching and learning. This study examines aspects of cultural values that either facilitate or impede learning and the strategies teachers adopt in their encounters with instances of culture in the classroom. Using the qualitative approach, two groups of 75 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) undergraduate learners and 17 expatriate teachers of English from an Omani Higher Learning Institution responded to the open-ended survey questions. Participants’ responses and observations were thoroughly analyzed and grouped into various themes and domains to facilitate uncovering the presence of culture in EFL online classrooms. Results reveal cultural values that resisted online learning and hindered class interactive spaces as well as cultural values considered normal in onsite classes. The study highlights the significance of understanding the role of students and teachers in negotiating cultural constraints and the possible strategies to overcome them including engagement, direct communication, and institutional empowerment of teachers’ role in pedagogical effectiveness.