An Evaluation of Students Studying English Language and Literature about Transitioning to Online Classes during COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract views: 261
/ 
PDF downloads: 99
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.870732Keywords:
ELL learners, Microsoft Teams, Online classes, Mixed-methods, COVID-19Abstract
There are ever-increasing studies about online classes and their applications in terms of benefits and deficits in transitioning to online education especially after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the world. This study investigates the English language learners’ evaluations about transitioning to online classes in higher education in a sample of students at English language and literature (ELL) department. In addition to this, following a mixed-method design, it attempts to find out the students’ preferences whether this change about online delivery in higher education is well welcomed or not. ELL students’ preferences and evaluations were assessed through a five-point Likert survey and a focus group interview. After employing convenience sampling, 96 ELL students responded to the survey and 10 students who answered the survey participated in the focused interview voluntarily. The results showed that both groups of learners had positive evaluations about transitioning to online classes in terms of the content, delivery and structure during pandemic. The participants also thought that their professors utilized online classes effectively leading to a seamless transition to online learning for them. The implications of these findings for online classes in Turkish higher education context are discussed.
References
• Aktaş, Ö., Büyüktaş, B., Gülle, M., & Yıldız, M. (2020). Covid-19 virüsünden kaynaklanan izolasyon günlerinde spor bilimleri öğrencilerinin uzaktan eğitime karşi tutumlari. Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 1(1), 1-9.
• Ally, M. (2004). Foundation of educational theory for online learning. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (p.15-44). Canada: AU Press. Retrieved November 5, 2020 from https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120146_99Z_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
• Agung, A. S. N., Surtikanti, M. W., & Quinones, C. A. (2020). Students’ perception of online learning during COVID-19 pandemic: A case study on the English students of STKIP Pamane Talino. Soshum: Jurnal Sosial dan Humaniora, 10(2), 225-235. http://doi.org/10.31940/soshum.v10i2.1316
• Allo, M. D. G. (2020). Is the online learning good in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic? The case of EFL learners. Jurnal Sinestesia, 10(1), 1-10. Retrieved November 3, 2020 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340815846
• Armstrong, D. (2011). Students’ perceptions of online learning and instructional tools: A qualitative study of undergraduate students’ use of online tools. In C. Ho & M. Lin (Eds.), Proceedings of E-Learn 2011--World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (pp. 1034-1039). Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/38847/
• Artino Jr, A. R. (2010). Online or face-to-face learning? Exploring the personal factors that predict students' choice of instructional format. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(4), 272-276. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.07.005
• Astani, M., Ready, K. J., & Duplaga, E. A. (2010). Online course experience matters: Investigating students’ perceptions of online learning. Issues in Information Systems, 11(2), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.48009/2_iis_2010_14-21
• Baber, H. (2020). Determinants of students’ perceived learning outcome and satisfaction in online learning during the pandemic of COVID-19. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 7(3), 285-292. http://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.73.285.292
• Bagasra, A., & Mackinem, M. B. (2019). Addressing discrepancies in faculty and student perceptions of the quality and rigor of online courses. In E. Smidt & R. Li (Eds.), Ensuring quality and integrity in online learning programs (pp. 120-148). PA: IGI Global. http://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7844-4.ch005
• Balçıkanlı, C. (2010). Learner autonomy in language learning: Student teachers’ beliefs. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(1), 90-103. http://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2010v35n1.8
• Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. The USA: Sage Publication.
• Bowman, L. (2010). Online learning: A user-friendly approach for high school and college students. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
• Creswell, J. W. & Clark, V. L. P. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. CA: Sage.
• Demuyakor, J. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19) and online learning in higher institutions of education: A survey of the perceptions of Ghanaian international students in China. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 10(3),1-9. https://doi.org/10.29333/ojcmt/8286
• Doyumğaç, İ., Tanhan, A., & Kiymaz, M. S. (2020). Understanding the most important facilitators and barriers for online education during COVID-19 through online photovoice methodology. International Journal of Higher Education, 10(1), 166-190. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v10n1p166
• Ertuğ, C. (2020). Coronavirüs (Covid-19) pandemisi ve pedagojik yansımaları: Türkiye’de açık ve uzaktan eğitim uygulamaları. AUAd, 6(2), 11-53.
• Gabryś-Barker, D. (2017). Preservice teachers' perceptions of teacher autonomy. In W M. Pawlak, A. Mystkowska-Wiertelak, & J. Bielak (Eds.) Autonomy in second language learning: Managing the resources (pp. 161-177). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07764-2_10
• Genç, M. F. & Gümrükçüoğlu, S. (2020). Koronavirüs (Covid-19) sürecinde İlahiyat fakültesi öğrencilerinin uzaktan eğitime bakışları. Electronic Turkish Studies, 15(4), 403-422.
• Guest, G., MacQueen, K., & Namey, E.E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. The USA: Sage Publication. Retrieved November 10, 2020 from http://www.sagepub.com/books/Book233379
• Hara, N. (2000). Student distress in a web-based distance education course. Information, Communication & Society, 3(4), 557-579. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691180010002297
• Hara, N., & Kling, R. (2001). Student distress in web-based distance education. Educause Quarterly, 24(3), 68-69.
• Hebebci, M. T., Bertiz, Y., & Alan, S. (2020). Investigation of views of students and teachers on distance education practices during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. International Journal of Education and Science, 4(4), 267-282. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.v4i4.113
• Hilliard, J., Kear, K., Donelan, H., & Heaney, C. (2020). Students’ experiences of anxiety in an assessed, online, collaborative project. Computers & Education, 143, 103675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103675
• Hixon, E., Barczyk, C., Ralston-Berg, P., & Buckenmeyer, J. (2016). The impact of previous online course experience RN students' perceptions of quality. Online Learning, 20(1), 25-40. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4306/453552548d394461f480cafb3257e448dbcd.pdf
• Karakuş, N., Ucuzsatar, N., Karacaoğlu, M. Ö., Esendemir, N., & Bayraktar, D. (2020). Türkçe öğretmeni adaylarının uzaktan eğitime yönelik görüşleri. RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, 19, 220-241.
• Kirk, A. (2007). Linguistic and cultural online communication issues in the global age. Hershey: Information Science Reference. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-59904-213-8
• Krishnapatria, K. (2020). From ‘lockdown’ to letdown: students’ perception of e-learning amid the COVID-19 outbreak. ELT in Focus, 3(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.35706/eltinfc.v3i1.3694
• McIntyre, L. J. (2004). Need to know: Social science research methods. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Means, B., Bakia, M., & Murphy, R. (2014). Learning online. New York: Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203095959
• Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research. A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
• Murphy, L., Eduljee, N. B., & Croteau, K. (2020). College student transition to synchronous virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northeastern United States. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485
• Nambiar, D. (2020). The impact of online learning during COVID-19: Students’ and teachers’ perspective. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(2), 783-793.
• Pal, D., & Vanijja, V. (2020). Perceived usability evaluation of Microsoft Teams as an online learning platform during COVID-19 using system usability scale and technology acceptance model in India. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.childyouth.2020.105535
• Pal, D., Vanijja, V., & Patra, S. (2020). Online learning during COVID-19: Students' perception of multimedia quality. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Advances in Information Technology, 1-6. http://doi.org/10.1145/3406601.3406632
• Rogers, C. (2011). Engaging students in online classes with WIMBA: A preliminary study. In Proceedings of the southern association for information systems conference (p. 141-147). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/info-sys-facpubs/49
• Serçemeli, M. & Kurnaz, E. (2020). Covid 19 pandemi döneminde öğrencilerin uzaktan eğitim ve uzaktan muhasebe eğitimine yönelik bakış açıları üzerine bir araştırma. IJOSSAR, 4(1), 40-53.
• Simpson, C., & Du, Y. (2004). Effects of learning styles and class participation on students' enjoyment level in distributed learning environments. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 45(2), 123-136. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED463755.pdf
• Telli, G. & Altun, D. (2020). Coronavirüs ve çevrimiçi (online) eğitimin önlenemeyen yükselişi. Üniversite Araştırmaları Dergisi, 3(1)25-34. https://doi.org/10.32329/uad.711110
• Unger, S., & Meiran, W. (2020). Student attitudes towards online education during the COVID-19 viral outbreak of 2020: Distance learning in a time of social distance. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, 4(4), 256-266. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.v4i4.107
• UNESCO. (2020). COVID-19 Impact on Education. https://en.unesco.org/covid19
• Vonderwell, S. & Zachariah, S. (2005). Factors that influence participation in online learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(2), 213-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2005.10782457
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Ceyhun YÜKSELİR, Fatma YUVAYAPAN
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
