Abstract
Kuwait is one of the countries whose educational systems have suffered deeply following the governmental precautionary procedures which enforced the closure of schools to restrict the breakout of the virus. Affected dramatically by the consequences of the pandemic, this chapter focused on the challenges, strategies, and responses of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers about the problems that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed that the greatest challenges they faced during online teaching were assessing students and keeping them involved during classes, teaching the writing skill, time constraints, and technical problems. Moreover, teachers showed low levels of difficulty in managing their online classrooms because of the support and cooperation of school administrations regarding students' behavior in online lessons.
TopIntroduction
The shock caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 was unprecedented in global educational systems as it affected education in one way or another in almost all countries. School closure was compulsory in 180 countries as of April 24, 2020 (World Bank, 2020). This situation affected about 85% of students around the world. In a report by the British Council (2020) about Ministries of Education (MoEs) response to the pandemic, with data collected from 51 countries worldwide during April and May 2020, it was stated that schools were closed at that time in all these territories except for Taiwan. The report stated that more than 70% of the targeted MoEs had no clear plans to continue teaching and learning English. However, many countries managed to find alternatives to F2F education to ensure the continuation of the educational process. 88% of the MoEs targeted in the survey conducted by British Council (2020) were able to deliver alternatives to F2F education by at least providing asynchronous lessons and offering the content digitally, and nearly a third of these ministries provided synchronous online learning.
Kuwait is one of the countries whose educational systems have suffered deeply following the governmental precautionary procedures, which forced the MoE to announce the closure of schools on February 26, 2020, to restrict the spread of the virus. Alhouti (2020) reported that the Kuwaiti MoE had not been ready to immediately transform F2F teaching and learning to ERT settings. Alhouti (2020) reports how by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MoE had neither the necessary infrastructure nor the prompt decision-making for moving to ERT. As a result, education in the second semester of 2019-2020 at public schools in Kuwait had been suspended. Later, the second semester was concluded for students of grades 1-11 who automatically passed to the higher classes. 12th graders had a six-week course using the Microsoft (MS) Teams software from early August to mid-September 2020 without holding the regular end-of-year paper exams. Assessment of 12th graders during this course depended on online quizzes and assignments. In short, the Kuwaiti MoE’s response was relatively ineffective in providing an alternative to F2F learning for grades 1-11. This meant that students missed the opportunity to benefit from all internationally available learning models and suffered from a great loss of learning in the second half of the 2019-2020 academic year. As for the 2020-2021 academic year, education started online using the MS Teams software and continued so until the end of the second semester. In response to the dramatic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in general and English language teaching in specific, this chapter focused on the challenges, coping strategies, and satisfaction levels of K-12 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Kuwait.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Synchronous Online Learning: This term describes all forms of live or real time interaction between a teacher and their students over the internet using computer software designed specifically for this purpose.
Microsoft Teams (MS Teams): This software was invented by Microsoft and was popular with ERT during COVID-19. It enables teachers and students to attend their lessons remotely over the internet. This software has many features like recording, uploading files, and sharing screens.
Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT): This term refers to the online education modality used as a reaction to an instant pandemic or natural disaster. In this teaching modality, teachers and learners move to online study without prior planning.
Online Education: This term refers to organized education based on the internet. This form of education is well-planned and is usually used during normal times.
Coping Strategies: This term refers to the cognitive and behavioral tactics used by human beings to overcome distressing crises and conditions.
Remote Teaching: This term describes what teachers do by way of instruction in the digital space and other non-F2F mediums (e.g., via the telephone).
Asynchronous Online Learning: This term describes all forms of instruction that make use of learning resources available outside of live teacher/learner interaction. In asynchronous online learning, students usually use learning management systems (LMSs) to study on their own.
COVID-19: This is a worldwide pandemic that started in late 2019 and has continued so for more than two years. It has caused the closure of schools for extended periods of time in many countries. It has also affected other fields of life. Millions of people around the globe have lost their lives because of this disease.