Teaching English to Young Learners in a Pandemic: A Bangladeshi perspective

Globally the COVID-19 pandemic has altered academic practices significantly. A nationwide online education had been in effect in Bangladesh since March 2020 due to the closing down of schools for an indefinite period. While several studies have explored the effects of such a sudden shift in the learning environment for the older students, the primary level students have not received as much attention. The present study examined the changes adopted, with regard to classroom teaching and assessments, in the English language classes at the primary levels in Bangladesh. A qualitative study was conducted with a pool of teachers (n= 7), students (n= 10), and parents (n=9) who were interviewed to obtain a comprehensive view regarding the new teaching-learning scenario. The responses showed that the adjustments made to the academic practices might have been enough to stop the system from coming to a halt, but they were inadequate and ineffective in addressing the language needs in a virtual environment.