EFL Students' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Virtual Classrooms in Enhancing Communication Skills

Autor/inn/en	Alshumaimeri, Yousif A.; Alhumud, Abeer M.
Titel	EFL Students' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Virtual Classrooms in Enhancing Communication Skills
Quelle	In: English Language Teaching, 14 (2021) 11, S.80-96 (17 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1916-4742
Schlagwörter	Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; English (Second Language); Student Attitudes; Virtual Classrooms; Instructional Effectiveness; Females; Majors (Students); Communication Skills; Foreign Countries; Online Courses; COVID-19; Pandemics; Educational Change; Self Esteem; Anxiety; Vocabulary Skills; Barriers; Positive Attitudes; Oral Language; Teaching Methods; Interpersonal Communication; College Students; Saudi Arabia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Schülerverhalten; Unterrichtserfolg; Weibliches Geschlecht; Kommunikationsstil; Ausland; Online course; Online-Kurs; Bildungsreform; Self-esteem; Selbstaufmerksamkeit; Angst; Aktiver Wortschatz; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Interpersonale Kommunikation; Collegestudent; Saudi-Arabien
Abstract	This study aimed to examine students' perceptions of the effectiveness of virtual classrooms in enhancing their communication skills. Study participants were 43 female English majors at the College of Education at a Saudi Arabian university. This study was conducted during the first semester of the 2020/2021 academic year when COVID-19 restrictions necessitated online learning. The study implemented a mixed methodology approach in which qualitative and quantitative tools were used to collect data. Two data collection instruments were used: a questionnaire and observations. In the questionnaire findings, students identified lack of confidence, anxiety surrounding making mistakes, and lack of vocabulary as their greatest challenges when communicating in English. The questionnaire also revealed that students held positive attitudes towards the effectiveness of virtual classrooms in enhancing their oral communication skills. The observation data revealed that virtual classrooms can play a significant role in enhancing students' communication skills. However, despite their positive views of virtual classrooms, students agreed that the lack of face-to-face communication was a major obstacle in online learning. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01