Abstract
It is a widespread and strongly supported assumption in the educational arena that the integration of technology into language classrooms can lead to improved teaching and learning with a positive impact on language learners’ proficiency level. The current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic has provided language teachers with great many potential opportunities to implement online applications and instruments to develop learners’ language proficiency. In contrast to the previous norms of EFL classrooms, where technology integration used to be an important albeit a subsidiary component, the current COVID-19 state has put online teaching on the foreground as it is purely a techno-led teaching scenario. However, with the integration of technology-based learning strategies, challenges faced by EFL teachers have also increased. The current study aims to study technology-integrated classrooms and address the challenges before EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. To have a clear instrument development of data and research findings, the Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method Design was selected by the researcher after using a blend of questionnaires and online interview techniques. For data collection, 50 language instructors at the English Language Institute (King Abdulaziz University) participated in the research. Due to the pandemic control lockdown state, these teachers were teaching an online Module from March-May 2020. The research design was focused on obtaining data based on two aspects: 1. Investigating the positive impact of technology integration in online EFL classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2. Addressing the challenges faced by the teachers in techno-led online classes during the COVID-19 era. The research findings indicated that despite having access to various techno-led applications and techniques including the blackboard ultra, podcasting, vodcasting etc., still there were many challenges faced by Saudi language instructors. The most common challenges included, but were not limited to, the inability to have access to the modern equipment, interrupted or weak internet connection, learners’ low motivation level and attention deficit. Despite these issues, however, many language instructors reported a positive inclination towards the use of technology in EFL online classes. The findings of the study shed light on the productive use of techno-led online EFL classrooms, focusing on strategic skill-based learning taking place and establishing a strong virtual link between the instructors and learners. Furthermore, the results of this study would help policymakers, trainers, EFL teachers and professional development experts with the current aspects of COVID-19 and the pending issues determining technology integration in EFL online classrooms, thus enabling them to make better-informed decisions.
Highlights
With the aim of introducing improved learning strategies for language learners, technology integration and incorporation of related digital combos to the language pedagogy has become a globally established demand (Hutchinson and Reinking 2011)
The results revealed a variety of perceptions on the relation of student success and/or failure as key indicators of the success of the technology integration regarding the objectivity of the teaching process
The study aimed to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the potentially positive impact of technology integration in online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and to understand the challenges faced by teachers in these online sessions, in Saudi Arabia
Summary
With the aim of introducing improved learning strategies for language learners, technology integration and incorporation of related digital combos to the language pedagogy has become a globally established demand (Hutchinson and Reinking 2011). According to Tondeuretal (2009), the last decade of the (21st) century saw an extensive and significant amount of research and findings in the field of technology integration to learning schemata as a strong learning tool. In the current scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology integration to online language teaching has gained (inevitably) increasing attention. Regardless of the existing barriers to technology integration in language teaching and learning, the COVID-19 pandemic has expedited the process of technology integration. It is, important to be prepared and well-equipped for the new status quo in terms of knowledge, skills and resources needed for technology integration.
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