Shift in Distance Learning and Its Related English Terminology in the Context of Education Digitalisation in Latvia

Abstract

Distance education has been existing for decades; however, it has become prominent in the process of education digitalisation, and its popularity has boosted lately. In the course of time, the implication of the term distance education has been undergoing changes along with the technological developments in the sphere of education and the emergence of the Internet. As a result, such terms as e-learning, online learning, distance learning and remote learning have appeared. COVID-19 has made its adjustments in the sphere all over the world, including Latvia. Consequently, the above-mentioned distance education related terminology has been affected as well. Thus, the necessity to research the new implications of the terms has arisen. The goal of the current corpus-based research lies in the investigation of new implications of the terminology, influenced by COVID-19. To trace shifts in meaning over the last two decades, emphasising the changes brought by the current situation, such sources as research papers and online press were investigated. The data were collected and analysed with the help of the AntConc software. The results revealed that the terms have acquired new connotations and undergone shifts in their meanings. Moreover, they are used ambiguously, which has caused the necessity to clarify the distinctions and the application of stated terms. It was reached within the framework of the present research.