Perception and Preference Towards English Language Learning and Teaching Through Virtual Mode: A Study on English Language Learners and Teachers

The paper intends to discuss English Language teachers' and students' perceptions and preferences toward English Language Teaching and Learning through online or virtual classes. The COVID 19 outbreak and the nationwide lockdown created a new set of environments for all. All educational institutions were closed down to prevent the widespread of the virus as a result the teaching and learning activities were disrupted extensively. All sorts of activities, including teaching and learning, were being carried out through online mode. Traditional classroom teachings shifted to online classroom teaching in order to continue with teaching and learning practices. The online mode of teaching became an effective strategy to continue the teaching and learning process without any interruption. The closure of educational institutions affected a large number of students. The abrupt change in teaching and learning methods impacted both the teachers as well as students. The main purpose of the study was to examine the perception and preferences of learners and teachers towards online learning and teaching. The study adopted the questionnaire method, and the data were collected from undergraduate students (Currently in B.A Third Semester) of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Madhya Pradesh by sending a questionnaire to participants' email ids. The English language teachers and students were selected for the present study. English language course is taught at this university as a compulsory subject for first-semester undergraduate students. Two questionnaires, one for the teachers' group and another for the students' group, were prepared to know the opinion of both the participant groups. The study reveals that students are more satisfied with face-to-face teaching than the online mode. All learners believe that learning and speaking English is an advantage, but they prefer classroom teaching over online. Similarly, the teachers’ group also showed their preferences for offline teaching over online teaching. The present paper elaborates on the findings of the present study.