Unraveling college students’ conceptualisation of emergency remote teaching: A metaphor analysis

Abstract

The current COVID-19 situation has affected almost all walks of life, including language education. As a result, remote teaching practices have become the mainstream offering in many settings. However, how students respond to this transition needs to be grasped to develop a deeper understanding of the educational practices at this period. Metaphor analysis was used as a methodology to unpack how language learners conceptualize learning and instruction during the emergency remote teaching (ERT) in a COVID-19 context. To this end, an open-ended questionnaire in which the participants provided their background and a semi-structured form through which their metaphorical images were captured were used. Elicited metaphor analysis was used to analyze the data gathered from 208 English majoring students studying at a state university in north-eastern Turkey. The results suggest that a great many students have unfavorable dispositions towards ERT, even though some reported that they cherish these opportunities as they help them keep track of their own learning. Several suggestions are made in the light of the findings.

Keywords

• Emergency remote teaching
• Students’ perception
• Metaphor analysis
• English language teaching
• COVID-19

References

1. Adedoyin, O. B., & Soykan, E. (2020). Covid-19 pandemic and online learning: The challenges and opportunities. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1813180
2. Akat, M., & Karataş, K. (2020). Psychological effects of Covid-19 pandemic on society and its reflections on education. Electronic Turkish Studies, 15(4), 1-13. . https://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.44336
3. Akbari, M. (2013). Metaphors about EFL teachers’ roles: A case of Iranian non-English major students. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies, 1(2), 100-112.
4. Akbulut, M., Şahin, U., & Esen, A. C. (2020). More than a virus: How COVID 19 infected education in Turkey? Journal of Social Science Education, 19, 30-42.
5. Arkorful, V., & Abaidoo, N. (2015). The role of e-learning, advantages and disadvantages of its adoption in higher education. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 12(1), 29–42.
6. Bao, W. (2020). COVID‐19 and online teaching in higher education: A case study of Peking University. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(2), 113-115. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.191
7. Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education an introduction to theory and methods (5th ed.). Pearson.
8. Bozkurt, A., & Sharma, R. C. (2020). Emergency remote teaching in a time of global crisis due to CoronaVirus pandemic. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), i-vi. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3778083

9. Carter, R. A., Rice, M., Yang, S., & Jackson, H. A. (2020). Self-regulated learning in online learning environments: Strategies for remote learning. Information and Learning Sciences, 121(5/6), 321-329. https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-5348.htm
10. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. (6th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
11. Çalışıcı, H., & Sümen, Ö. Ö. (2018). Metaphorical Perceptions of Prospective Teachers for STEM Education. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 6(5), 871-880.
12. Davidson, D. (1978). What metaphors mean. Critical Inquiry, 5(1), 31-47.
13. Dawson, C. (2007). A practical guide to research methods (3rd ed). How to Books.
14. de Klerk, D., Krull, G., & Maleswena, T. (2021). Rapid orientation of students for emergency remote learning during the Covid 19 lockdown. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, 9(1), 61-75.
15. Dincer, A. (2017). EFL learners' beliefs about speaking English and being a good speaker: a metaphor analysis. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5(1), 104-112.
16. Elçi, A. (2021). Academics’ professional development needs and gains during COVID-19 distance education emergency transition in Turkey: Academics’ professional development needs and gains. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 13(1), 343-358.
17. Ersin, P., Atay, D., & Mede, E. (2020). Boosting preservice teachers’ competence and online teaching readiness through e-practicum during the COVID-19 outbreak. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(2), 112-124. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2020.09.09
18. Farrell, T. S. (2006). ‘The teacher is an octopus’ uncovering preservice English language teachers’ prior beliefs through metaphor analysis. RELC Journal, 37(2), 236-248. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0033688206067430
19. Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online learning and emergency remote teaching: Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. Societies, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086
20. Genç, G. (2017). Turkish EFL learners’ metaphorical conceptualizations of language learning. International Journal of Language Academy, 5(6), 284-285. http://dx.doi.org/10.18033/ijla.3689
21. Godhe, A. L., & Wennås Brante, E. (2022). Interacting with a screen–the deprivation of the ‘teacher body’during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and Teaching, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2022.2062732
22. Güneş, A., & Fırat, M. (2016). Açık ve uzaktan öğrenmede metafor analizi araştırmaları. Açıköğretim Uygulamaları ve Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2(3), 115-129.
23. Hartshorn, K. J., & McMurry, B. L. (2020). The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on ESL learners and TESOL practitioners in the United States. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(2), 140-157. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2020.09.11
24. Hays, P. A. (2004). Case study research. In K. deMarrais, & S. D. Lapan (Eds), Foundations for research: Methods of inquiry in education and social sciences (pp. 217-234). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
25. Hebebci, M. T., Bertiz, Y., & Alan, S. (2020). Investigation of views of students and teachers on distance education practices during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science (IJTES), 4(4), 267-282.
26. Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review, (March 27, 2020). https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-differencebetween-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning.
27. Jin, L., Liang, X., Jiang, C., Zhang, J., Yuan, Y., & Xie, Q. (2014). Studying the motivations of Chinese young EFL learners through metaphor analysis. ELT Journal, 68(3), 286-298. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccu011
28. Iglesias-Pradas, S., Hernández-García, Á., Chaparro-Peláez, J., & Prieto, J. L. (2021). Emergency remote teaching and students’ academic performance in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study. Computers in Human Behavior, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106713
29. Keskin, M., & Ozer-Kaya, D. (2020). Evaluation of studenst’ feedbacks on web-based distance education in the COVID-19 process. Izmir Katıp Celebi University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal, 5(2), 59-67.
30. Koçoğlu, E., & Tekdal, D. (2020). Analysis of distance education activities conducted during COVID-19 pandemic. Educational Research and Reviews, 15(9), 536-543.
31. Kövecses, Z. (2010). Metaphor and culture. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Philologica, 2(2), 197-220.
32. Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. The University of Chicago Press.
33. Leary, D. E. (1994). Psyche’s muse: The role of metaphor in the history of psychology. In D. E. Leary (Ed.), Metaphors in the history of psychology (pp. 1–78). Cambridge University Press.
34. Mahlios, M., Massengill‐Shaw, D., & Barry, A. (2010). Making sense of teaching through metaphors: a review across three studies. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and practice, 16(1), 49-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600903475645
35. Misirli, O., & Ergulec, F. (2021). Emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: Parents experiences and perspectives. Education and Information Technologies, 26, 6699–6718. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10520-4
36. Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage Publication.
37. Morgan, H. (2020). Best practices for implementing remote learning during a pandemic. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 93(3), 135-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1751480
38. Moser, K. S. (2000). Metaphor analysis in psychology—Method, theory, and fields of application. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-1.2.1090
39. Nisiforou, E. A., Kosmas, P. & Vrasidas, C. (2021) Emergency remote teaching during COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned from Cyprus. Educational Media International, 58(2), 215-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1930484
40. Octaberlina, L. R., & Muslimin, A. I. (2020). EFL students’ perspective towards online learning barriers and alternatives using moodle/google classroom during covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Higher Education, 9(6), 1-9.
41. Osman, M. E. (2020). Global impact of COVID-19 on education systems: the emergency remote teaching at Sultan Qaboos University. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4), 463-471. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1802583
42. Özer, B., & Üstün, E. (2020). Evaluation of students’ views on the Covid-19 distance education process in music departments of fine arts faculties. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 6(3), 556-568.
43. Özer, M. (2020). Educational policy actions by the ministry of national education in the times of COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 28(3), 1124-1129. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.722280
44. Öztürk Karataş, T., & Tuncer, H. (2020). Sustaining language skills development of pre-service EFL teachers despite the COVID-19 interruption: A case of emergency distance education. Sustainability, 12(19), 81-88.
45. Parpala, A., & Niinistö-Sivuranta, S. (2022). Leading teaching during a pandemic in higher education—A case study in a Finnish university. Education Sciences, 12(3), 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12030147
46. Parthasarathy, S., & Murugesan, S. (2020). Overnight transformation to online education due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned. eLearn, 9, Retrieved from https://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=3421471&doi=10.1145%2F3424971.3421471.
47. Rahiem, M. D. (2020). The emergency remote learning experience of university students in indonesia amidst the COVID-19 crisis. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(6), 1-26. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5618-2486
48. Şendoğan-Erdoğan, K. (2020). Foreign language education during COVID-19 pandemıc: An evaluation from the perspectives of preparatory class students. Milli Eğitim Dergisi, 49(1), 1079-1090. https://doi.org/10.37669/milliegitim.788274
49. Şener, B., Sağlam-Ertem, İ. S., & Meç, A. (2020). Online teaching experiences of ELT instructors. Journal of Educational Technology and Online Learning, 3(3), 340-362. https://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.770418
50. Şimşek, M. R. (2014). A metaphor analysis of English teacher candidates’ pre-and post-course beliefs about language and teaching. Dicle Üniversitesi Ziya Gökalp Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, (22), 230-247.
51. Stake, R. E. (2005). Qualitative case studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed), (pp. 443-466). Sage Publications.
52. Süğümlü, Ü. (2021). A case study on teaching Turkish through distance education. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 8(1), 174-190. https://doi.org/10.17220/ijpes.2021.8.1.278
53. Tarchi, C., Brante, E. W., Jokar, M., & Manzari, E. (2022). Pre-service teachers’ conceptions of online learning in emergency distance education: How is it defined and what self-regulated learning skills are associated with it? Teaching and Teacher Education, 113, 103669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103669
54. Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8, 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-8-45
55. Tokuç, B., & Varol, G. (2020). Medical education in Turkey in time of COVID-19. Balkan Medical Journal, 37(4), 180.
56. UNESCO (2020). “COVID-19 impact on education”. Available at: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse
57. Wan, W., Low, G. D., & Li, M. (2011). From students’ and teachers’ perspectives: Metaphor analysis of beliefs about EFL teachers’ roles. System, 39(3), 403-415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2011.07.012
58. Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., Ho, C. S., & Ho, R. C. (2020). Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051729.
59. World Health Organization (2014). Public health implications of excessive use of the internet, computers, smartphones and similar electronic devices. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
60. Yan, Z. (2020). Unprecedented pandemic, unprecedented shift, and unprecedented opportunity. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2020 (2), 110-112. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.192
61. Yıldırım, K., & Ergün-Elverici, S. (2021). Examining emergency remote teaching: A case study in a private school. European Journal of Education Studies, 8(1), 153-178.
62. Yin, H. (2022). A mixed blessing: student engagement in emergency online learning during COVID-19 in China. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1-15.
63. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.
64. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2022.2072469
65. Zheng, H. B., & Song, W. J. (2010). Metaphor analysis in the educational discourse: A critical review. Online Submission, 8(9), 42-49.