EFL STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES OF ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE ROLE OF PEDAGOGY IN FOCUS

Abstract

With the occurrence of the Coronavirus pandemic, “emergency remote teaching”, and student isolation, paying attention to students’ emotions and feelings has taken more precedence. Building upon the genealogies of emotions (Zembylas, 2008), this study attempts to explore EFL students’ emotional experiences in online courses during a whole educational semester. To this aim, 873 emotion diaries from 68 students were analyzed for positive and negative emotions as well as the sources of those emotions. The results indicated that the students’ negative emotions arose due to the Coronavirus outbreak and its resultant isolation and mental problems, conditions of remote learning from home (e.g. intrusion, lack of concentration, and falling sleep in front of the monitor), inadequate ICT infrastructure and technical problems, workload and course requirements, as well as the students’ individual attributes such as lack of confidence and motivation, and low English proficiency. On the other hand, the students’ positive emotions were related to the localization and personalization of the content, the students’ use of learning strategies, the availability of class records for future review, and the chance of socializing with instructors. Furthermore, online assessments and exams as well as the teachers’ pedagogical practices gave rise to both positive and negative emotions, and the instructors were found to be the main cause of the students’ emotions in online courses. The results were then discussed with reference to the importance of instructors’ appropriate pedagogical practices in remote teaching. This study has implications for teachers and university instructors as well as policy makers and planners in the design and development of future online courses.