Attitudes and Perspectives of Saudi Female Medical Students towards Online EFL Education under COVID-19 Circumstances

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has caused many educational institutions across the globe to lockdown. Employing online educational models was the best solution to prevent the spread of the virus. This study depicts the attitudes and perspectives of Saudi female medical students towards online English language learning during the pandemic lockdown. The aim is to identify the challenges of online learning to understand the students’ learning experiences and suggest practical solutions. The two main questions are: How do virtual education approaches influence students’ educational behavior, and what are the students’ perspectives towards virtual education amid the pandemic? After two semesters of solely distance education, a questionnaire was conducted to scrutinize students’ perceptions of online learning using Zoom, Cisco WebEx, and Blackboard platforms. Fifty-seven students enrolled in their first-year medical program in the 2020/2021 academic year participated in this study. “Quantitative as well as qualitative” methods were used. Results indicate that an average of 63.52% of students preferred distance education over onsite. However, 69.5% of students encountered technical difficulties. On the other hand, online education was more enjoyable than onsite education for 45.6% versus 19.3% who did not enjoy it. Further, 50.8% of students were more active during online classes, and 59.6% perceived online education as an efficient teaching method to expand their knowledge, skills, and social competence. The data reflects that the general attitudes towards distance education were positive. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate a need for special attention to providing further technical support for students who experience technical difficulties

Distance learning Revisited: Students’ Preferences and Attitudes in the Post-Pandemic Era

“…In addition, many studies examined the challenges that students and instructors faced in DL in certain subject courses during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia such as the attitudes and perspectives of Saudi female medical students towards online instruction in EFL (Elashhab, 2022); instructors and students' perceptions of DL in translation courses (Aldossary, 2021) (Alhaider, 2023); (Albatti, 2022); English language learning strategies during COVID-19 in the Middle East vis collaborative learning, flipped classroom, and the final is scaffolding (Khreisat, 2022); EFL speaking practice in distance learning during the pandemic in 2020-2021 (Al-Jarf, 2021d); teachers and students' perceptions of emergency online learning in an intensive English writing course (Mahyoob, 2020); Saudi university students' views of language learning via blackboard during the pandemic (Almekhlafy, 2020); Aljuaid, 2021); use of blackboard in English-speaking practice by Saudi EFL students during COVID-19 (Al-Oqaily, Salam & Na, 2022); the challenges and affordances of implementing mobile-assisted language learning as reported by EFL teachers' in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 (Alghamdi, 2022); differential effects of the iPad on first and second language acquisition by Saudi children during the pandemic (Al-Jarf, 2021c); perceptions of blended learning environments by Saudi students at Bisha University (Anas, 2020) and others.…”