GLoCALL 2021

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many educators had to transition from face-to-face to online classes. Zoom has become a popular platform for live, online classes in different educational contexts including English language learning. This phenomenological study sought to gain insight into South Korean students’ satisfaction with Zoom breakout rooms in English communication classes. Participants included 25 undergraduate students attending English communication classes at a university in central South Korea. Data collection comprised an open-ended survey, a focus group, and individual interviews. Data analysis centered on examining significant statements and developing themes. The results of this study indicate that most students were satisfied with using Zoom breakout rooms for EFL classes. Furthermore, students expanded on various benefits of using Zoom breakout rooms and provided recommendations for improvement. This paper concludes with practical implications and suggestions for future research pertaining to the use of Zoom breakout rooms in EFL classes. There were different activities carried out in the breakout rooms. Some examples of these will also be discussed.

Social networking media have become an indispensable part of language education that educators can apply in their teaching to effectively improve their student’s language ability. Among them, Schoology offers a social networking environment providing effective tools in promoting learners’ self-regulated learning (SRL). In this study, Schoology was applied as a learning channel for learners to work together with their teachers and their peers. Schoology – based self-regulated learning on non – English major undergraduates to enhance their English abilities was examined via pre-test and post-test, and their attitudes toward Schoology – based self-regulated learning (SBRL) were investigated through the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. This mixed-method study was conducted during 8 weeks with 60 non-English majors including 30 students in an experimental group and 30 students in a controlled group. The results from the pretest and posttest showed that SBRL increased participants’ English abilities significantly. The data from the questionnaire and interviews indicated that students had positive attitudes toward SBRL. The findings of this study have confirmed that Schoology could possibly become an alternative online learning platform to support students’ learning process.

With the advanced development in mobile technology, there is a need to explore the potential of synchronous voice chats (SVC) operated within a mobile-assisted environment using mobile instant messaging apps. This study aimed to compare the speaking performance of Chinese EFL learners in both synchronous voice-based chat and face-to-face chat modes and explore the relationship between learners’ speaking performance and anxiety levels in these two chat modes which allow real-time communication. In this mixed methods study, WeChat instant messaging was used as the platform for synchronous voice-based chat (SVC). Forty students from a public university in China participated in 4 chat sessions in SVC and F2F chat modes over 4 weeks. Quantitative data were collected through the oral scores of the participants’ performance in the chat sessions and anxiety questionnaires. Then, qualitative data were obtained from a focus group interview. The findings revealed a significant difference in learners’ speaking performance in SVC and F2F chat. Students’ speaking performance outperformed in SVC chat compared to F2F chat. This could be linked to students’ anxiety levels which were slightly higher in F2F chat. Despite that, most of the students preferred F2F chat to SVC chat due to the practicality of F2F chat.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented changes in the teaching and learning process resulting in the shift from face-to-face to online instructions. The shift to online teaching has raised concerns on the teachers’ digital competency and their challenges in online instructions. The current study explored English language teachers' perceptions and challenges faced during the sudden shift to online teaching mode. The results revealed that teachers’ perceived ease of use of online teaching using Google Classroom, WhatsApp, and Telegram Groups in terms of utility and simplicity of the online teaching mode was high. The ease of use of the online tools suggests that teachers perceived the online teaching mode effective. Further, teachers who are not prepared to accommodate the changes, faced challenges in implementing online learning. Aspects such as online teaching strategies, psychological qualities, and technological competence among English language teachers confirmed as influential factors in online teaching practices. The research recommends the need for continuous professional development training programmes for in-service teachers to improve their digital competency for effective online teaching experiences.

Interactivity is one of the crucial factors contributing to success in foreign language learning. However, in many countries, online learning is currently being conducted to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is challenging to maintain adequate interaction between students and teachers or among students. Various platforms have been employed to improve the efficiency of online interaction in the study process such as Zoom, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Team Link, etc. Among those useful tools, Nearpod has emerged as an all-around solution for online teaching, particularly in English teaching since it can ensure interactivity among teachers, students, and the materials. This research aims to investigate whether Nearpod, a tool aiding online study, increases students’ interactivity in English learning. Two hundred and four freshmen at Van Lang University (VLU), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, participated in this project for eleven weeks. A Mixed-method approach was used together with 2 data collection instruments: The perception of the Online Interaction Scale (a Likert questionnaire) and open-ended questions. The results indicate that the use of Nearpod boosts interaction in online English learning. The findings have a significant contribution to facilitating virtual study which is inevitable in the hazardous infection of the Covid-19 virus.

Enhancing students' autonomy has also become one of the most pressing concerns in these online courses as there is no direct connection between teachers and students during this period. To tackle the issue, it is believed that teachers should use effective online learning tools to engage students and foster their self-study process. However, there may be a fact that no matter how many tools have been used, their effectiveness may not be examined thoroughly. As a result, the research was done in an online Writing class to model how one teacher used online learning media in her classroom and assess how effective online learning media were through both quantitative and qualitative methods with academic results (pretest, post-test), questionnaires, interviews, and observation.

Drawing on Vandergrift’s (2006) metacognitive awareness raising listening questionnaire and using podcast technology to expedite undergraduate L2 listening comprehension this study was to explore if podcast helped learners develop listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness. The purpose of this study examined i) does a podcast, BBC sounds, play role in improving learners’ listening comprehension, ii) to what extent does the relationship between listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness help learners improve learning? To apprehend the research objectives, twenty Bangladeshi undergraduate EFL learners in the experimental group (n = 10) and the control group (n = 10) attended the intervention for five weeks during the pandemic.

The present study shows how utilizing cooperative learning (CL) strategies to support students with intellectual disabilities (SwIDs) in inclusive learning environments boost their capacities. Persons, as well as states, recognize the importance of learning in integration, and therefore, all of the resources are utilized in learning. However, a competing society also has its negative consequences on the learning system. While making connections on the pathway to victory, SwIDs seek to identify linkages with everyone. They are inappropriate since they have no contacts and relationships with other people. Considering numerous attributes of matured personal character is useful for SwIDs. CL is a technique that encourages students to study alongside one another.