TEACHING ENGLISH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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Abstract

On account of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, the move online learning amid the quarantine has different negative impacts on teachers and learners. On the point of the failure to adjust bodily instruction strategies to remove instruction, and the incapacity to plan modern teaching forms has led to pressure and tension being exerted on learning experience; this rings true for students. The present research focuses on exploring the challenges and opportunities of online education while learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). In consequence, historical process of online education and importance of online education while learning EFL are briefly summarized, and challenges and opportunities of online education, possible security problems faced by online learners and purposes of learners' use of social media are discussed in this research. A questionnaire adapted from Becker (2019), titled ‘E-learning Questionnaire’ was used in the study. 87 students studying at Foreign Languages Teaching department at Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University in Kazakhstan participated in the study. The results of this study show that all participants have been using the Internet for years. Most of the participants improve their English language skills through the Internet, and they mostly prefer portable digital technologies to access the Internet. Easy access to updated English resources, learning at one’s personal space, flexibility, and eliminating travel and accommodation costs are among the opportunities of e-learning mostly agreed by the participants. The main challenges of online education are social isolation, not getting instant feedback, negative attitudes towards online education, planning difficulties as a result of lack of self-study habits, and fear of using digital technologies resulting from lack of technical training and support.