EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of a Long Shift to Online Learning in a Saudi University during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Ahmed Al Shlowiy; Khaled Layali

doi:10.31261/TAPSLA.12096

Published: 2023-04-05

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2023)

EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of a Long Shift to Online Learning in a Saudi University during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Ahmed Al Shlowiy

, Khaled Layali

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.31261/TAPSLA.12096

Abstract

Discovering the new variants of coronavirus by the end of 2020 pushed many countries to continue suspending universities and schools. A complete change to online learning seemed the only available option to continue education given the detection of new coronavirus variants. Such a long time of using online learning can display how teachers experience this hard time of the pandemic. The researchers performed this study to explore EFL teachers’ perceptions of online learning in a Saudi university during this period. They aimed to have a closer look at EFL teachers’ perceptions of the sudden shift into online learning. They focused on the teachers’ benefits, drawbacks, and suggestions. They used a questionnaire and interviews to collect qualitative data to answer research questions. Results showed five benefits and two drawbacks of using online learning to teach English in that Saudi university. The benefits are being a good and useful option for teaching during the coronavirus pandemic, motivation of teachers, ease of access and use, interacting between teachers and students, and being less teacher-centered. The drawbacks are disruption by poor Internet and technical issues and cheating by students on assessments. The participants provided some suggestions to improve the benefits and overcome the drawbacks.

Keywords:

benefits and drawbacks , COVID-19 , online learning , Saudi EFL context , teachers’ observations

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Al Shlowiy, A., & Layali, K. (2023). EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of a Long Shift to Online Learning in a Saudi University during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition, 9(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.31261/TAPSLA.12096

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Ahmed Al Shlowiy

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8441-1987

Affiliation:

English language and Preparatory Year Institute, Jubail, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia

Khaled Layali

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3036-1953

Affiliation:

Dept. of Languages and Publishing, Police Academy, Cairo, Egypt Egypt

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2023)
Published: 2023-04-21

ISSN: 2450-5455

eISSN: 2451-2125

10.31261/tapsla

Publisher

Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego | University of Silesia Press

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EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of a Long Shift to Online Learning in a Saudi University during the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Keywords:

Ahmed Al Shlowiy

Khaled Layali

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