Students� Perceptions of E-Learning for Esl/Efl in Saudi Universities at Time of Coronavirus: A Literature Review

Abstract

Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared a world pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 30, 2020. As a safety measure to protect people, most governments in the world, including Saudi Arabia, decided to close universities and workplaces. Prompted by this shut down, the researchers aimed to review the students� perceptions of e-learning for ESL/EFL in Saudi universities at this Coronavirus time. As such, this review reported on four primary studies that were found relevant to its focus during the period from January 2020 till April 2020 (Abu-Ayfah, 2020; Ahmad, 2020; Alshehri & Cumming, 2020; Hakami, 2020). As a historical perspective of the review�s focus, it also reported on other four primary studies dating back to 2018 and 2019 (Alshehri, Rutter & Smith, 2019; Mutambik, 2018; Oyaid & Alshaya, 2019; Sharma, 2019). The review�s objectives were to report: 1) students� perceptions of e-learning for ESL/EFL, 2) benefits of e-learning for ESL/EFL, and 3) drawbacks of e-learning for ESL/EFL in Saudi universities. Moreover, this review was compared to a conference paper from China (He, 2020) as it presented a strategy to continue college English learning and teaching at Coronavirus time. Results showed students� positive views, many benefits and limited drawbacks of e-learning for ESL/EFL in Saudi universities.Keywords: e-learning; ESL/EFL; students� perceptions; benefits and drawbacks; Saudi education.

Obstacles of Teaching Science in Saudi Universities and the Proposed Solutions during the COVID-19

“…Also the participants confirmed self-efficacy of the students and faculty members in Saudi universities is very important element in success of E-learning system in order to meet the intended E-jobs; otherwise, it is difficult to achieve these learning activities. And universities should design and implement some training programs which can play an important role in increasing self-efficacy of all participants to enhance their Information Technology skills, and this is consistent with studies (Almaiah et al, 2020, Layali et al, 2020, Almaiah et al, 2019.…”

Attitudes and awareness of regional Pacific Island students towards e-learning

“…E-learning has been defined as the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education which continues to evolve to meet the needs and demands of the students (Bhuvaneswari & Dharanipriya, 2020 ), E-learning involves the use of technology and web platform to create a two-way platform for communication and discussion between students and teachers, where student-to-student discussions enhance social learning, and teachers provide a scaffolded learning experience for students via timely feedback (Layali & Al-Shlowiy, 2020 ), E-learning encompasses a broad set of applications and processes such as computer-assisted learning, web-based training, virtual classrooms and digital collaboration (Kashive et al, 2020 ). is the reason for its popularity results from numerous associated advantages, including (Kashive et al, 2020 ; Layali & Al-Shlowiy, 2020 ; Raturi, 2018 ; Reddy et al, 2020b ): No limitation of pace and time. Students can access the content and learn at their own speed and time Promotion of active learning, as students take the lead role in the learning process Promotion of student-centred, self-directed, interactive, flexible learning Students are exposed to the use of versatile education tools …”

“…Although e-learning comes with a lot of advantages, there are many barriers that the higher education institutes face in the successful facilitation and delivery of e-learning including the network infrastructure, lack of students’ computer competencies, students’ efficacy in using technology for learning, and the potential for miscommunication between students and facilitators (Layali & Al-Shlowiy, 2020 ; Mousavi et al, 2020 ; Rafiq et al, 2020 ). Researchers have also highlighted that since e-learning is closely linked to technology, and because students must use these communication tools for learning, their competency and efficacy in the use of such technology is extremely important (Arshavskiy, 2017 ; Henderson et al, 2017 ; Sakarji et al, 2019 ).…”

EFL Students’ Challenges towards Home Learning Policy During Covid-19 Outbreak

“…Additionally, psychological side of the students when experiencing an online learning also needs to be consider because to have a great "mental health" for students is a must especially in the recent learning situation (Wajdi et al, 2020;Hasan & Bao, 2020). Therefore, students' perception (Layali & Al-Shlowiy, 2020), readiness (Mohalik & Sahoo, 2020), and strategy (Nurjanah, 2020) toward the use of online learning during the pandemic of Covid-19 is important to be investigated especially as there are some activities which are new in teaching and learning that both teachers and students should handle with (Cahyadi, 2020).…”