The Impact of Emergency Remote Teaching on EFL Instruction

The Impact of Emergency Remote Teaching on EFL Instruction

This paper documents the transition from Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) to post-ERT English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching practice by investigating the experiences of EFL university instructors in South Korea. Using a mixed methodology, the researchers found quantitative evidence to possibly formulate a standardized ERT practice in the field of EFL. The multiple regression tests found that teachers identified managing grades and student messaging as benefits of remote teaching; the same tests also showed self-regulation, collecting assignments, and creating English content as ERT challenges. These are the specified areas of training and professional development that teachers have reported as the benefits and challenges of ERT practice. A key finding of this paper is from the qualitative data. The interviews revealed a salient example of ERT’s lasting impact. Some of the teachers in this study had two groups of students: online and in-person. Along with documenting this hybrid of in-person and remote teaching, this study provided a platform for teachers to voice their experiences and concerns about this transitory period. The results reveal a more authentic representation of how ERT has transformed EFL practice in Korean Higher Education.