Innovation in Language Learning

This paper deals with students’ perceptions and preferences regarding online instruction in two EFL (English as a Foreign Language) courses in the post-COVID period at a higher-education institution (HEI) in Croatia. As a background to the original research in this paper, we first provide an overview of recent studies on students’ experiences with various instructional practices implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general higher education context as well as the specific context of EFL. Several studies conducted by other authors in Croatia and internationally are encompassed. Two large-scale surveys – one performed in European countries [1] and the other globally [2] – explored the prevalence of different modalities of online lecturing during the initial period of COVID-19 pandemic. Another research conducted in USA [3] focused on the most influential obstacles to transitioning to online learning. A large national survey in Croatia [4] carried out a year and a half after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic provided insights into the distribution of fully online teaching compared to a combination of online and on-site instruction at different HEIs, also revealing the students’ satisfaction with online teaching and preferences regarding academic instruction formats. Evaluation of online teaching of EFL at the university level was a topic of several research papers after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, one paper [5] indicated the students’ preferences regarding printed materials and face-to-face classes in comparison with online language classes effectiveness. A Portuguese study focused on students’ attitudes regarding various aspects of online classes in the period after the on-site teaching was reinstated following the lockdown [6]. A study among EFL students who participated in online EFL instruction during COVID-19 pandemic [7] established several important factors in students’ evaluation of online learning such as opportunities for interaction and contribution of online learning to achieving learning outcomes. Our paper reports on a survey performed at the end of May 2022 on more than 100 students who attended two EFL courses at a HEI in the northwestern part of Croatia. The results of our survey revealed students’ preferences for, respectively, fully on-site (face-to-face) teaching, fully online (synchronous or asynchronous) teaching, and a (“hybrid”) combination of on-site and online teaching. Most of the surveyed students indicated satisfaction with the “hybrid” and fully online teaching in those two EFL courses in the summer semester of 2021/2022 academic year. Various advantages of online teaching, as well as different problems and obstacles were also reported by the students. It must be noted that, if it was their choice, most of the students would prefer fully online or some combination of online and on site (face-to-face) delivery of their EFL courses. When asked to compare the on-site (face-to-face) teaching with modalities of (a) online synchronous and (b) online asynchronous teaching, most of the students stated that online teaching modalities were less efficient regarding the amount of time needed for learning. The results of our survey among students in two EFL courses are also compared to the results of a survey with similar questions that was performed for all courses delivered at the same HEI.

References
[1] Doolan, K., Barada, V., Burić, I., Krolo, K., Tonković, Ž. “Student life during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: Europe-wide insights”, European Students’ Union (ESU), 2021.
[2] Aristovnik, A., Keržič, D., Ravšelj, D., Tomaževič, N., Umek, L. “Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students: A global perspective”, Sustainability, 2020, 12, 8438, 1-34.
[3] Soria, K. M., Chirikov, I., Jones-White, D. “The obstacles to remote learning for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students”, UC Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education, 2020.