Innovation in Language Learning

Notwithstanding the benefits online learning offers, some technical and educational problems still exist. One of the recent issues is the quality of learners’ engagement in synchronous online classes. Student engagement in the context of online education pertains to the amount of time and effort that students invest in the learning process conducted online. It is one of the pivotal constructs that, if enhanced, may encourage students to stay on the courses and if ignored may lead to students’ dropping out. However, keeping students engaged is arduous because of the distractions that technology-mediated learning may cause. This study uses a survey and a semi-structured interview to examine EFL learners’ engagement characteristics in online courses and the reasons for their disengagement. The participants included 120 EFL learners, with the age range of 15-18, in a popular English Institute. Dixon’s Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE) was used to collect data. The questionnaire included four categories: skill engagement, emotional engagement, participation engagement, and performance engagement. Having been gathered, the data was transferred to SPSS 17.0 for statistical analysis. 18 volunteers from among the participants were invited to be interviewed. The results of the quantitative analysis revealed that all engagement types were rated as average by the students except for the participation engagement, which was lower than average. Five themes emerged as the result of content analysis of the data gathered through the semi-structured interviews for the reasons for the learners’ disengagement in synchronous online classes: (1) Lack of close interaction with class members (2) Lack of discipline (3) Technology-related issues and (4) Unconventional learning environment. The findings might offer several practical implications for teachers, technology designers, and material developers.

Keywords:  skill engagement, emotional engagement, participation engagement, performance engagement

REFERENCES

[1] Dixson, M. D. (2015). Measuring student engagement in the online course: The Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE). Online Learning, 19(4), n4.

[2] Gray JA, DiLoreto M. The effects of student engagement, student satisfaction, and perceived learning in online environments. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation. 2016 May;11(1): n1.

[3] Mercer S. Language learner engagement: Setting the scene. Second handbook of English language teaching. 2019:643-60.

[4] Ma J, Han X, Yang J, Cheng J. Examining the necessary condition for engagement in an online learning environment based on learning analytics approach: The role of the instructor. The Internet and Higher Education. 2015 Jan 1; 24:26-34.