Exploring Iranian EFL Students’ Reflections of E-Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 pandemic has been a worldwide grave issue that unfavorably affected people’s life, including education. This study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ learning in Iran EFL context. A mixed method research design was employed in carrying out the study. The quantitative data were gathered through an online survey questionnaire from 139 students in Islamic Azad university (IAU) selected on convenience sampling method and six semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data. The quantitative data analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) showed that the students were not involved in a continual online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also revealed that the pandemic unspeakably affected students’ learning in Iran. In addition, the qualitative data coded and analyzed thematically showed that the students had problems with the Internet and technological facilities, and they suggested that the IAU design and introduce a resourceful online platform which will be free for and accessible to poor Internet connection users because some of the students live in areas where the Internet speed is very slow. The finding of the study may help educational managers and higher education leaders to review and adopt policies for teaching and learning in emergency cases. It will also help lecturers to design a proper plan and improve their instruction in these cases.