The Role of Emergence Distance Education (EDE) in the Learning of English Language Skills during COVID-19 Pandemic: Voices from Iranian Undergraduate EFL Students

Abstract

It has been about a year since COVID-19 pandemic brought tremendous and unprecedented chaos to the higher education (HE) landscape globally, and Iran’s online education system is by no means an exception. So, faculty members and students were forced to leave their face-to-face (FTF) classes and move into emergency distance education (EDE) contexts. Due to this drastic change in the system of education, investigating the probable effects of EDE on the quality of education seems essential. As such, this study has attempted to probe the effect of EDE on the language skills of Iranian EFL students. To do so, drawing on the maximum variation sampling, the present study embarked on a qualitative descriptive research method, triangulating data through written open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to collect data from 170 EFL students from different universities in Iran. The sample included BA students majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and English Literature, aged above 18. Using Thematic Analysis (TA), students’ responses were transcribed, codified, and interpreted. The findings of TA revealed that along with several disadvantages and challenges that Iranian EFL students experienced in EDE with regard to learning English language skills, EDE provided some opportunities and benefits for their learning. The analysis of students’ responses also indicated that they deemed speaking skill as the most negatively influenced language skill and listening skill as the most positively affected skill. Furthermore, the findings represented that most of the students held teachers and administrators responsible for the problems and challenges they experienced in EDE contexts. To them, in order to minimize the challenges of EDE, the responsibilities of all educational members, notably teachers and administrators, should be adapted based on online education requirements. The findings of the present study can encourage administrators, teachers, and students to prepare themselves for EDE against the possible subsequent waves.