The Impact of COVID-19 on Learning: Investigating EFL Learners’ Engagement in Online Courses in Saudi Arabia
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored learners' level of engagement in online courses using a designated school platform within the context of Saudi Arabia and found that learners who previously engaged in traditional learning now face a new challenge, a distinctive rise in e-learning.
Abstract: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most learning around the world has been transferred online. Learners who previously engaged in traditional learning now face a new challenge, a distinctive rise in e-learning. This drastic change could impact their learning behavior and acceptance of the change. As a result, their learning engagement could be affected massively. The present study therefore explores learners’ level of engagement in online courses using a designated school platform within the context of Saudi Arabia. A reliable measure was implemented in the study based on the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ). A survey was consequently conducted in a high school in Saudi Arabia, with a sample of 379 female English as a foreign language (EFL) learners studying a general English language course. The results revealed a high level of engagement among EFL Saudi learners. This helped to generate recommendations to improve EFL practices, primarily through the use of an online environment either at the national level in the Saudi context or the international level.
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TL;DR: A framework that implements activities/strategies to ensure active student engagement in remote/online teaching and learning during this COVID-19 pandemic is presented and feedback indicates that combining the utilized technologies, synchronous teaching, and active learning activities in the developed framework is effective for interactive learning.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a drastic shift of face-to-face teaching and learning to remote/online teaching and learning at all levels of education worldwide. Active student engagement is always a challenging task for educators regardless of the teaching modalities. The degree of challenge for active student engagement increases significantly in remote/online teaching and learning. This paper presents a framework that implements activities/strategies to ensure active student engagement in remote/online teaching and learning during this COVID-19 pandemic. The structure of the developed framework combines the balanced use of adjusted teaching pedagogy, educational technologies, and an e-learning management system. Teaching pedagogy involves various active learning techniques, synchronous teaching, asynchronous teaching, and segmentation. The educational technologies, such as Google Meet, Jamboard, Google Chat, Breakout room, Mentimeter, Moodle, electronic writing devices, etc., enable the developed framework for active student engagement. An e-learning management system, Moodle, is used for course management purposes. Over the last three semesters (Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021), the framework is tested for three different engineering courses. A questionnaire draws out student perception on the developed framework in terms of active student engagement that ensures student–student interactions, student–instructor interactions, social presence, reinforces learning and deepens understanding of the materials in remote teaching. The feedback also indicates that combining the utilized technologies, synchronous teaching, and active learning activities in the developed framework is effective for interactive learning; hence a practical approach for active student engagement in remote/online teaching and learning. The article focuses on contributing to present research and infusing future research direction about technology-enhanced active student engagement in Engineering Education.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the challenges and support methods for deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/Dhh) students during their distance education in Saudi Arabia and found that they require various forms of ongoing support from both their families and schools to ensure that they succeed and benefit from their experiences.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors have made an honest attempt to know the coastal Karnataka students' stance on college educational environment, and they have found that students agree with policies and actions taken by colleges to carry out classes during COVID-19 pandemic irrespective of demographic and educational difference.
Abstract: The impact of COVID-19 has revamped all aspects of human life including education sector, and it has completely changed the educational environment across the globe. Due to the pandemic, the methodical functions of educational institutions have stopped, and new phases have started like online class, online evaluation, and indoor activities. Students are the vital players in education sector, and their opinions play an indispensable role while formulating the policies by the government. In the pandemic, students' perspective on education environment finds new dimension. Therefore, this paper has made an honest attempt to know the coastal Karnataka students' stance on college educational environment. In this study, six major components of education environment are considered, namely (1) online class, (2) teaching and learning, (3) evaluation, (4) college administration, (5) extracurricular activities, and (6) teachers. The study is descriptive in nature, and data was collected from 347 college students of Coastal Karnataka. To support the main objective, a hypothesis has been developed with the help of review of literature and is tested by using ANOVA and independent t-test. The path analysis is used to analyze the casual relationships among components of college educational environment, overall perception, and student performance. The result of the study found that the college students have positive perception towards online class (M=3.14), teaching and learning (M=3.704), evaluation (M=3.38), college and administration (M=3.83), extracurricular activities (M=3.87), and teachers (M=3.63). The result of the hypothesis testing revealed that there is no significant difference in the student perception towards various components of college education system. Path analysis results show that there is relation and effect between components of college education, overall perception, and students' performance. The study concludes that students agree with policies and actions taken by colleges to carry out classes during COVID-19 pandemic irrespective of demographic and educational difference.
10 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a critical review aims to make a comparison of online learning challenges between young learners and adult learners in ESL classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the closure of schools and institutions and the shift from face to face classes to online learning which forced the learners to adapt with the transformation.
Abstract: This critical review aims to make a comparison of online learning challenges between young learners and adult learners in ESL classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the closure of schools and institutions and the shift from face to face classes to online learning which forced the learners to adapt with the transformation. The challenges being faced by the young and adult learners were categorized into three themes, namely learning styles, psychological effect and low academic performance. A total of 40 articles were screened from the years 2020 and 2021. Out of those articles, 29 articles were recognized for the adult learners’ challenges and 11 articles for the young learners’ challenges. The findings suggested there were differences of challenges between the young and adult learners. It is important to recognize the challenges faced by these two levels of learners so that these challenges can be addressed accordingly in the future.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined learners' acceptance of the use of breakout groups on Blackboard in a translation course at Al-Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract: Social distancing became a must during the pandemic, which not only had implications for people’s social lives, but also for their learning. Collaborative work was almost impossible, especially in the classroom, despite a great need for this approach. For example, in their translation classes, the learners needed to collaborate with their peers, assisting each other in translating texts. Thus, the use of breakout groups is proposed in this study, although there is no guarantee that learners will accept this online approach. Consequently, the current research looks at learners’ acceptance of breakout groups on Blackboard in a translation class. To examine their acceptance, an existing scale was used, developed by Davis (1989) to measure two factors of technology acceptance: perceived usefulness and ease of use. A sample of 54 students on a Translation course at Al-Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, participated in this study. The results show that the learners found breakout groups on Blackboard to be useful and easy to use.
7 citations
References
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TL;DR: The approaches for developing effective vaccines and therapeutic combinations to cope with this viral outbreak are discussed and the emergence and pathogenicity of COVID-19 infection and previous human coronaviruses severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and middle east respiratory virus (MERS- coV) is analyzed.
2,643 citations
"The Impact of COVID-19 on Learning:..." refers background in this paper
...These abrupt changes in education are linked with teachers’ teaching-related decisions that were influenced by factors that were related to the existence of digital tools as well as the ability to use them purposefully in the home settings of teachers and students [50]....
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Book•
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: This is a very practical and accessible book that offers a comprehensive overview of research methodology in applied linguistics by describing the various stages of qualitative and quantitative investigations, from collecting the data to reporting the results.
Abstract: This is a very practical and accessible book that offers a comprehensive overview of research methodology in applied linguistics by describing the various stages of qualitative and quantitative investigations, from collecting the data to reporting the results. It also discusses 'mixed methods research', that is, the various combinations of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
1,820 citations
"The Impact of COVID-19 on Learning:..." refers result in this paper
...Regarding the current situation in Saudi Arabia, the need to examine learners’ engagement in online classes was identified as urgent because it is a new phenomenon, marking a sudden change in education, in contrast to the education landscape before the COVID-19 pandemic [24]....
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01 Apr 2020
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of Peking University's online education is presented to summarize current online teaching experiences for university instructors who might conduct online education in similar circumstances, concluding with five high impact principles for online education: (a) high relevance between online instructional design and student learning, effective delivery on online instructional information, adequate support provided by faculty and teaching assistants to students; (b) high-quality participation to improve the breadth and depth of student's learning, and (e) contingency plan to deal with unexpected incidents of online education platforms.
Abstract: Starting from the spring of 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 caused Chinese universities to close the campuses and forced them to initiate online teaching. This paper focuses on a case of Peking University's online education. Six specific instructional strategies are presented to summarize current online teaching experiences for university instructors who might conduct online education in similar circumstances. The study concludes with five high-impact principles for online education: (a) high relevance between online instructional design and student learning, (b) effective delivery on online instructional information, (c) adequate support provided by faculty and teaching assistants to students; (d) high-quality participation to improve the breadth and depth of student's learning, and (e) contingency plan to deal with unexpected incidents of online education platforms.
1,342 citations
"The Impact of COVID-19 on Learning:..." refers background in this paper
...Further to the above, Moawad investigated the stress caused by online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among Saudi university students, studying 2271 male and female students at King Saud University [19]....
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Book•
17 May 1999
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the nature of the design process of measuring and collecting factual data, measuring attitudes, opinions and views, measuring achievement, and evaluating data quality, and determining instrument reliability and validity.
Abstract: PART ONE: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH DESIGN The Nature of Enquiry Beginning the Design Process Initial Sources of Invalidity and Confounding Basic Designs Identifying Populations and Samples Additional Sources of Confounding by the Measurement Process and Interactions Refining the Designs PART TWO: MEASUREMENT DESIGN Principles of Measurement and Collecting Factual Data Measuring Attitudes, Opinions and Views Measuring Achievement Evaluating Data Quality Determining Instrument Reliability and Validity PART THREE: TURNING DATA INTO INFORMATION USING STATISTICS Descriptive Statistics Using a Spreadsheet Probability and Statistical Significance Power, Errors and Choosing a PART FOUR: EX POST FACTO, EXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS: PARAMETRIC TESTS Comparing Two Groups t-Test One-Way Analysis of Variance Factorial Designs Randomized Block Designs and Analysis of Covariance PART FIVE: NONPARAMETRIC TESTS: NOMINAL AND ORDINAL VARIABLES Nonparametric Tests One and Two Samples Nonparametric Tests Multiple and Related Samples PART SIX: DESCRIBING NON-CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS Correlation and Association Regression
941 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new conceptualization of perceived control was used to test a process model describing the contribution of these perceptions to school achievement for students in elementary school (N = 220).
Abstract: A new conceptualization of perceived control was used to test a process model describing the contribution of these perceptions to school achievement for students in elementary school (N = 220). Three sets of beliefs were distinguished: (a) expectations about whether one can influence success and failure in school (control beliefs); (b) expectations about the strategies that are effective in producing academic outcomes; and (c) expectations about one's own capacities to execute these strategies. Correlational and path analyses were consistent with a process model which predicted that children's perceived control (self-report) influences academic performance (grades and achievement test scores) by promoting or undermining active engagement in learning activities (as reported by teachers) and that teachers positively influence children's perceived control by provision of contingency and involvement (as reported by students). These results have implications for theories of perceived control and also suggest one pathway by which teachers can enhance children's motivation in school. Several decades of research have demonstrated that an important contributor to school performance is an individual's expectations about whether he or she has any control over academic successes and failures. A robust body of empirical findings has been produced using a variety of constructs, such as locus of control, causal attributions, learned helplessness, and self-efficacy. Beginning with the examination of beliefs about whether reinforcements are under internal or external control (Rotter, 1966), empirical evidence has accumulated indicating that children who believe that doing well in school is contingent on their own actions perform better than those who do not (Seligman, 1975). Similarly, children who believe that good grades are caused by internal and controllable causes (like effort; Weiner, 1979), who believe that they can produce the responses that lead to desired outcomes (Bandura, 1977), or who believe that they possess high ability (Harter, 1981; Stipek, 1980) perform better academically. These children score higher on tests of intelligence
874 citations
"The Impact of COVID-19 on Learning:..." refers background in this paper
...Ultimately, we are left with an imperative need for better-designed programs that are suitable for online learning, not only in the current crisis, but for the near and distant future [51]....
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