Research Article

Examining teachers’ readiness and perception on distance EFL learning in Taiwanese secondary education

Kate Tzu-Ching Chen 1 *
More Detail
1 Department of Applied English, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung City, TAIWAN* Corresponding Author
Contemporary Educational Technology, 16(2), April 2024, ep506, https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/14389
Published Online: 22 March 2024, Published: 01 April 2024
OPEN ACCESS   1051 Views   722 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the readiness and perceptions of 215 secondary school teachers in Taiwan regarding distance English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. Data collection encompassed survey questionnaires, which were refined based on a pilot study. The responses underwent analysis using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and the Pearson correlation coefficient in the most recent iteration of SPSS. In addition, content analysis was conducted on follow-up interviews. The findings indicated a noteworthy degree of readiness among teachers for distance EFL learning, nonetheless the challenges arising from the abrupt transition to distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. While teachers exhibited confidence in their ability to navigate EFL distance learning, they also accentuated the necessity for specialized training and institutional support to effectively manage its demands. Despite their preference for traditional in-person classes, teachers acknowledged the importance of ongoing support and training to enhance the quality of instruction in digital EFL learning contexts, emphasizing the need for continuous development in this newly developed teaching trend to align with evolving educational landscapes.
Keywords: distance education and online learning, K-12 education, computer-assisted language learning, English teaching

CITATION (APA)

Chen, K. T.-C. (2024). Examining teachers’ readiness and perception on distance EFL learning in Taiwanese secondary education. Contemporary Educational Technology, 16(2), ep506. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/14389

REFERENCES

  1. Abuhammad, S. (2020). Barriers to distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak: A qualitative review from parents’ perspective. Heliyon, 6(11), e05482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05482
  2. Aldossari, S., & Altalhab, S. (2022). Distance learning during COVID-19: EFL students’ engagement and motivation from teachers’ perspectives. English Language Teaching, 15, 85. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v15n7p85
  3. Al-Jarf, R. (2022). Online vocabulary tasks for engaging and motivating EFL college students in distance learning during the pandemic and post-pandemic. International Journal of English Language Studies, 4(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2022.4.1.2
  4. Alvarez, A., Ventura, D. R. M., & Opiniano, J. H. (2020). Going the distance: Perceptions of teachers in open and distance continuing professional development. Globus Journal of Progressive Education, 10(2), 60-66.
  5. Amin, M. M., & Paiman, N. (2022). University English language teachers’ use of digital platforms for online teaching. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 17(20), 134-148. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i20.31421
  6. Andarwulan, T., Fajri, T. A. A., & Damayanti, G. (2021). Elementary teachers’ readiness toward the online learning policy in the new normal Era during COVID-19. International Journal of Instruction, 14(3), 771-786. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14345a
  7. Arrosagaray, M., González-Peiteado, M., Pino-Juste, M., & Rodríguez-López, B. (2019). A comparative study of Spanish adult students’ attitudes to ICT in classroom, blended and distance language learning modes. Computers & Education, 134, 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.01.016
  8. Atmojo, A. E. P., & Nugroho, A. (2020). EFL classes must go online! Teaching activities and challenges during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Register Journal, 13(1), 49-76. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.49-76
  9. Bachiri, H., & Sahli, R. (2020). The need of distance learning in the wake of COVID-19 in Morocco: Teachers’ attitudes and challenges in the English foreign language Instruction. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 2(3), 240-256. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v2i3.326
  10. Bahari, A. (2022). Game-based collaborative vocabulary learning in blended and distance L2 learning. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 37(4), 348-369. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2020.1814229
  11. Driscoll, A., Jicha, K., Hunt, A. N., Tichavsky, L., & Thompson, G. (2012). Can online courses deliver in-class results? A comparison of student performance and satisfaction in an online versus a face-to-face introductory sociology course. Teaching Sociology, 40(4), 312-331. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X12446624
  12. Efriana, L. (2021). Problems of online learning during COVID-19 pandemic in EFL classroom and the solution. Journal of English Language Teaching and Literature, 2(1), 38-47.
  13. Escobar Fandiño, F. G., Muñoz, L. D., & Silva Velandia, A. J. (2019). Motivation and E-Learning English as a foreign language: A qualitative study. Heliyon, 5(9), e02394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02394
  14. Farnia, M., & Mohammadi, S. (2021). Exploring EFL teachers’ and learners’ perception of L2 Humor: A case study of Iranian English language institutes. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(1), 151-168. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2021.090201
  15. Gacs, A., Goertler, S., & Spasova, S. (2020). Planned online language education versus crisis-prompted online language teaching: Lessons for the future. Foreign Language Annals, 53(2), 380-392. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12460
  16. Gunes, S. (2019). What are the perceptions of the students about asynchronous distance learning and blended learning? World Journal on Educational Technology: Current Issues, 11(4), 230-237. https://doi.org/10.18844/wjet.v11i4.4274
  17. Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M. A., & Suman, R. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustainable Operations and Computers, 3, 275-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004
  18. Hazaymeh, W. A. (2021). EFL students’ perceptions of online distance learning for enhancing English language learning during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Instruction, 14(3), 501-518. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14329a
  19. Hung, M.-L. (2016). Teacher readiness for online learning: Scale development and teacher perceptions. Computers & Education, 94, 120-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.012
  20. Kara, M. (2021). Transactional distance and learner outcomes in an online EFL context. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 36(1), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2020.1717454
  21. Kirange, S., Sawai, D., & Director, I. (2021). A comparative study of e-learning platforms and associated online activities. The Online Journal of Distance Education and e-Learning, 9(2), 194-199.
  22. Kulal, A., & Nayak, A. (2020). A study on perception of teachers and students toward online classes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District. Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, 15(3), 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAOUJ-07-2020-0047
  23. Kundu, A., & Betal, A. K. (2022). Indian EFL teachers’ reflections on sudden e-adoption vis-a-vis COVID-19. International Journal of Technology Diffusion, 13(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJTD.317114
  24. Lamb, M., & Arisandy, F. E. (2020). The impact of online use of English on motivation to learn. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 33(1-2), 85-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1545670
  25. Lin, C.-H., Zhang, Y., & Zheng, B. (2017). The roles of learning strategies and motivation in online language learning: A structural equation modeling analysis. Computers & Education, 113, 75-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.05.014
  26. Luan, L., Hong, J.-C., Cao, M., Dong, Y., & Hou, X. (2023). Exploring the role of online EFL learners’ perceived social support in their learning engagement: A structural equation model. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(3), 1703-1714. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1855211
  27. Marco, C., & Daniel, A. (2021). Switching to fully online EFL learning environments: An exploratory study on learners’ perceptions. Journal of Language and Education, 7(3), 23-42. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.12101
  28. Moorhouse, B. L., & Wong, K. M. (2022). Blending asynchronous and synchronous digital technologies and instructional approaches to facilitate remote learning. Journal of Computers in Education, 9(1), 51-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-021-00195-8
  29. Moser, K. M., Wei, T., & Brenner, D. (2021). Remote teaching during COVID-19: Implications from a national survey of language educators. System, 97, 102431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102431
  30. Mouaziz, A., & El Biadi, M. (2021). Teachers’ perception of distance learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moroccan high school as a case study. International Journal of Information Science and Technology, 5(2), 50-58. https://doi.org/10.57675/IMIST.PRSM/ijist-v5i2.170
  31. Oliveira, G., Grenha Teixeira, J., Torres, A., & Morais, C. (2021). An exploratory study on the emergency remote education experience of higher education students and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), 1357-1376. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13112
  32. Pressley, T., & Ha, C. (2022). Teacher exhaustion during COVID-19: Exploring the role of administrators, self-efficacy, and anxiety. The Teacher Educator, 57(1), 61-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2021.1995094
  33. Ragan, L. C., Cavanagh, T. B., Schroeder, R., & Thompson, K. (2023). Supporting faculty success in online learning: Requirements for individual and institutional leadership. In G. E. Miller, & K. S. Ives (Eds.), Leading the eLearning transformation of higher education (pp. 116-137). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003445623-10
  34. Rannastu-Avalos, M., & Siiman, L. A. (2020). Challenges for distance learning and online collaboration in the time of COVID-19: Interviews with science teachers. In A. Nolte, C. Alvarez, R. Hishiyama, I. A. Chounta, M. Rodríguez-Triana, & T. Inoue, T. (Eds.), Collaboration technologies and social computing (pp. 128-142). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58157-2_9
  35. Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2020). Online university teaching during and after the COVID-19 crisis: Refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. Postdigital Science and Education, 2(3), 923-945. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y
  36. Shotsberger, P. G. (2000). The human touch: Synchronous communication in web-based learning. Educational Technology, 40(1), 53-56.
  37. Silva, O., & Sousa, Á. (2020). Perception of teachers and students about teaching and learning in the period of COVID-19 pandemic. In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (pp. 4832-4838). IATED Academy. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2020.1057
  38. Wahab, S., & Iskandar, M. (2020). Teacher’s performance to maintain students’ learning enthusiasm in the online learning condition. JELITA: Journal of English Language Teaching and Literature, 1(2), 34-44.
  39. Winanti, F. W., Purnama, Y. I., & Tirtanawati, M. R. (2021). Teacher’s perception using e-learning teaching English at high school, CEPU. English Education Department, IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro. http://repository.ikippgribojonegoro.ac.id/1676/
  40. Wu, S.-Y. (2021). How teachers conduct online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of Taiwan. Frontiers in Education, 6, 675434. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.675434
  41. Zou, C., Li, P., & Jin, L. (2021). Online college English education in Wuhan against the COVID-19 pandemic: Student and teacher readiness, challenges and implications. PLoS ONE, 16(10), e0258137. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258137