Students’ Isolation Challenges in Blended EFL Learning During COVID-19: How Can Social Presence and Interaction Help Develop Sense of Community?

Abstract

Purpose Due to COVID-19, many English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers chose to blend online and offline teaching. However, students in this modality face challenges in presence and feel isolated. Thus, the research investigated the relationship between social presence and sense of community in Chinese blended EFL learning during the pandemic and examined the role that interaction played in the relationship between social presence and sense of community. Participants and Methods Based on a purpose-sampling, 237 EFL students from three universities in the eastern part of China participated in this study using a set of self-rated questionnaires that assessed three variables: social presence, interaction, and sense of community. SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 24.0 were used to verify the hypotheses through structural equation modeling. Results This study found that ① the mean scores of social presence, interaction and sense of community varied from results of previous studies before the outbreak of COVID-19, and possible reasons were discussed; ② social presence had a significant impact on sense of community ( p < 0.05) without interaction as the mediator, and interaction proved to be a full mediator in the relationship between social presence and sense of community [β = 0.164, p = 0.001, 95% CI (0.072, 0.311)]. Conclusion In blended EFL learning during COVID-19 in China, social presence was positively related to sense of community, and interaction mediated this relationship fully. The present findings could help teachers better facilitate the virtuous interaction circle in online or blended EFL learning and, in turn, promote effective learning of learners.

The incorporation of peer learning into MosoTeach‐supported flipped language class: Effects on student motivation, participation, feedback and test performance

“…The experimental group practiced MosoTeach‐supported flipped learning mode, using MosoTeach as the online learning platform the whole semester (see Figure 3) with DingTalk (an app for live classes) for online classes from March to May, and brick classroom for offline classes from May to July. While the control group adopted Umooc‐supported non‐flipped mode, utilizing DingTalk for fully online lectures from March to May, and brick classroom for blended offline classes from May to July (Li, 2022b). To put it simple, due to COVID‐19, DingTalk virtual classroom replaced the brick classroom from March to May.…”

Vzgoja in izobraževanjemed preteklostjo in prihodnostjo / Upbringing and Education between the Past and the Future

“…2021;Doolan idr. 2021;Li 2022;Stevanović, Božić in Radović 2021;Zrim Martinjak 2022), kar je lahko glavni vir nezadovoljstva študenta (Mehall 2020;Vignery 2021). Za študenta, ki živi oddaljen od družine in najožjih prijateljev, so lahko povezanosti s študijskimi kolegi njegove najpomembnejše socialne povezave in pomemben vir socialne podpore (Mai, Wu in Huang 2021).…”

“…2020; Pandit in Agrawal 2021; Smoyer, O'Brien in Rodriguez-Keyes 2020) in študijsko učinkovitost (Vignery 2021; Vignery in Laurier 2020) je študij v socialni izolaciji med pandemijo covida-19 študenta lahko soočil s številnimi izzivi. Omejitev socialnih interakcij lahko povzroči občutek nepovezanosti, kar lahko rezultira v nižji stopnji udeležbe v študijskem procesu, nižjih dosežkih in celo v opustitvi študija; sprememba študijskega konteksta lahko spremeni študentovo doživljanje interakcij in lastne socialne prisotnosti v razredni skupnosti (Li 2022). Zato je, kot ugotavlja Li (2022) na podlagi raziskave (N = 237) o povezanostih med socialno prisotnostjo, interakcijami in občutkom skupnosti za spodbujanje in vzpostavitev slednjega, ključna prav socialna prisotnost študenta.…”

“…Prisotnost pri študijski izvedbi, preko aktivnosti, ki se izvajajo, omogoča vzpostavljanje interakcij z drugimi študenti (Picciano 2002). Interakcije, ki jih omogoča socialna prisotnost v študijskem okolju, so vitalnega pomena za krepitev občutka skupnosti (Li 2022), zaupanja in pripadnosti (Mehall 2020).…”

Students’ English Learning Strategies Assisted with e-Resources in Blended Learning

“…Meanwhile, research that seeks to examine the effect of blended learning, as the most effective and efficient combination of face-to-face teaching and online learning also continues to increase (Wang, 2022). Blended learning brings positive effects on both learner autonomy and students' motivation constructs in the blended learning compared to the conventional learning (Wong et al, 2020), students' social presence in an online learning community and their interaction also helps learners learn more effectively (Li, 2022). Blended learning enhances instructors' learning processes, provides practical opportunities for independent, relevant, and ever-increasing learning, and allows educators more scheduling freedom by integrating face-to-face and online training (Ramadhani, 2020).…”