Are we aware that the students’ well-being and feelings are still
kicking?
¿Somos conscientes de que el bienestar y los sentimientos de los
alumnos siguen en juego?
Cristina Pardo-Ballester
Iowa State University
cpardo@iastate.edu
ABSTRACT
The majority of recent research studies show the emotional state of language learners at the onset of the
Covid-19. Although the language students themselves identified issues limiting their learning, such as lack
of interaction, lack of motivation and feedback, isolation, problems with the Internet, language teachers
have admitted their concerns about students learning and confessed to being flexible, tolerant, and more
humane. Today, there is a need to follow up on those student issues regarding their language learning
beyond the Spring of 2020. This paper sheds light on the evolution of life, emotions, and wellbeing of the
students, and their language learning beyond the rapid transition in Spring 2020 from forced unplanned
teaching to the planned teaching during the pandemic of Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. This study explores
the perceptions of 68 foreign language students in an American context through a survey. The results report
on college language students’ needs, their emotions and wellbeing, and their recommendations to
administrators based on their needs and perceptions.
Keywords: self-efficacy, language anxiety, COVID-19, students’ needs.
RESUMEN
La mayoría de los estudios recientes de investigación muestran el estado emocional de aprendientes de
lengua al principio de la pandemia Covid-19. A pesar de que este grupo idenficó problemas que limitaban
su aprendizaje, como la falta de interacción, la falta de motivación y retroalimentación, aislamiento,
problemas con el Internet, los docentes de lengua admitieron sus preocupaciones sobre el aprendizaje de
sus estudiantes y confesaron ser más flexibles, tolerantes, y más humanos. Actualmente, es necesario
saber sobre esos temas preocupantes sobre el aprendizaje que abarcan más allá de esa transición veloz,
forzada y sin planear de la primavera del 2020 a una enseñanza planeada durante el otoño 2020 y la
primavera 2021. Este estudio explora las percepciones de 68 aprendientes de lengua extranjera en un
contexto americano mediante un cuestionario. Los resultados informan sobre las necesidades de estudiantes
universitarios de lengua, sus emociones y bienestar y sus recomendaciones a los administradores basándose
en sus necesidades y percepciones.
Palabras claves: autoeficacia, ansiedad lingüística, COVID-19, necesidades de los aprendientes
Revista Nebrija de Lingüística Aplicada a la Enseñanza de Lenguas (RNAEL) ISSN 1699-6569
Vol. 17 Núm. 35 (2023) doi: 10.26378/rnlael1735532
Recibido:30/08/2023 / Aprobado: 20/11/2023
Publicado bajo licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento Sin Obra Derivada 4.0 Internacional
1. INTRODUCTION
During the COVID-19 era in 2020, students worldwide were forced to study remotely.
As a result, many students felt isolated, suffered from stress and anxiety, and were
generally frustrated with the remote learning environment (Sosulski, 2020; Russell,
2020). Oskoz and Smith (2020) reflected on how the pandemic had affected teachers
and students, parents, and children due to the problems of online teaching and
learning. Research in this area shows that students suffered from negative feelings
due to the COVID-19 pandemic and different aspects of their personal lives, such as
the loss of relatives or friends, lack of environmental resources, and self-regulatory
strategies (Back et al., 2020).
Universities and community colleges have increased attention to the importance of
students’ well-being through multiple communication channels such as emails,
newsletters, workshops, meetings, or general announcements, but they have failed to
address the difficulty that students have in receiving mental support (Williams & Reetz,
2020). When students or faculty members sought counseling services near to or within
their institutions, there were no available appointments for months, and the result was
to be put on a waiting list (Skallerup Bessette, 2021).
Interestingly, the numbers to measure students’ academic distress, depression, and
anxiety disorder increased in 2020-2021 compared to previous years (Brown, 2021).
High-level administrators have highlighted ways faculty and academic advisors can
support students’ mental health: academically, by referring students to resources to
support their wellness, and by being aware of students experiencing a crisis. One must
consider that college campus leaders faced students’ mental-health challenges even
before the pandemic when anxious, scared, or depressed students sought mental
counseling (Williams & Reetz, 2020). Therefore, higher education’s mental-health
system has reached a crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic (Skallerup Bessette, 2021).
Up to now, the majority of the research studies about the rapid transition for teaching
and learning during the onset of the pandemic have reported findings with data
collected in spring 2020 or fall 2020, referring to the onset of the pandemic situation
(Harsch et al., 2021; McIntyre et al., 2020; Moser et al., 2021). However, there are
few research studies about the impact that the pandemic caused after the forced
transition. One example of these studies is the one from Hapsari (2021), who collected
data on distance learning anxiety three months after the Corona outbreak and a year
later. She found students’ anxiety levels were higher at the beginning of the pandemic
than after a year of experiencing the distance-learning environment. In the future,
there is no doubt that we will see more studies about teaching and learning in a post-
pandemic era.
Bryan Smith and Ana Oskoz, the editors of the academic journal CALICO, published a
reflection a year after the onset of the pandemic. In their introduction to the volume,
they stated, “there has been an opening up of the blinds to technology, and CALL is
there for teachers and administrators as we reflect on what our technology-enhanced
pedagogy should look like” (Smith & Oskoz,2021, pii). This reflection doesn't solely
concern teachers and administrators; language students, too, had the opportunity to
contemplate the impact of pedagogies on their learning during the COVID-19 era.
Hence, this study aims to explore students’ perceptions by investigating their
emotions, needs, and well-being through a survey administered to college language
students after the unplanned transition. The study will report on three categories:
1. Identifying language students enrolled at a United States institution so that
language teachers can understand their needs.
2. Identifying emotions and well-being issues that may be affecting language learning
and students’ language success at their United States institutions.
3. Offering general recommendations to high-level administrators based on language
students’ perceptions to help L2 development in language programs.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Teaching online within the COVID-19 pandemic
Scholars differentiated between remote learning and planned online instruction (Gacs
et al., 2020; Moser et al., 2021; Jin et al., 2021). Online education and remote
teaching are often used interchangeably but have different implications. Online
schooling is characterized by deliberate design and planning, whereas remote teaching
is understood to mean an abrupt shift due to crises. Remote teaching may include
online modes and take-home packets or workbooks for students with insufficient
access to technology. Well-designed online courses can be as effective as face-to-face
courses, especially in postsecondary settings, suggesting that the mode of instruction
itself is not entirely predictive of learner outcomes (Moser et al., 2021). The literature
suggests that online learners perform as well as in-person learners (Blake et al., 2008;
Pardo-Ballester, 2018), but this fails to acknowledge that much of this had to do with
the fact that those students had the choice and had self-selected to take an online
language course (Moser et al., 2021).
2.2 Language anxiety surrounding COVID-19
Since the ‘80s, anxiety in foreign language classrooms has been studied (Russell,
2020). Still, less attention has been given to learning a language within an online
learning environment and much less to the new unplanned online learning due to the
pandemic. Russell (2020) stated that the pandemic situation caused stress. This
situation draws attention to the existing anxiety experienced by language learners in
traditional classroom settings. Consequently, learners transitioning to an online format
might also encounter heightened anxiety due to the new learning environment. Russell
(2020) referred to the research of Horwitz et al., (1986), who described foreign
language classroom anxiety with three elements: communication apprehension, fear
of negative social evaluation, and test anxiety. She recommended language teachers
use the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCA) at the beginning and end
of the course to help learners reduce their anxiety levels.
Hapsari (2021) investigated the anxiety of 42 English learners within the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that the lack of interaction caused a lot of
isolation for students; students felt that their learning was monotonous and
frustrating. In addition, distance learning demanded a high level of discipline from
students, which caused more anxiety in students’ readiness. Her recommendations
were in line with those of Russell (2020) by using collaborative measures to overcome
the confusion and difficulties that students may experience.
Liu and Yuan (2021) explored foreign language anxiety within the context of Chinese
college students learning English during the pandemic. This study found that during
online classes, the Chinese students experienced less anxiousness when learning
English but experienced more anxiousness when practicing or trying to remember
vocabulary and talk in English because the students were more focused on the
accuracy and correctness of the language. While students suffered from increased
anxiety and deepened depression, often due to isolation from society, administrators
did their best to identify and assist those students in need. Still, anxiety and worry
remained present and real for almost everyone (Sosulski, 2020).
2.3 Self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs in crisis learning
According to Bandura (1997), perceived self-efficacy indicates confidence in one’s
capabilities to get a task done, considering specific contexts. The construct of self-
efficacy explains the feelings, acts, and thoughts about oneself, but it does not refer
to the skills that the individual has. However, self-concept is a construct that describes
how individuals perceive themselves to explain and predict their actions through their
experiences with the environment. In the study by Bong and Shaalvik (2003), self-
concept is defined as “one’s general perceptions of the self in given domains of
functioning, while self-efficacy represents individuals’ expectations and convictions of
what they can accomplish in given situations” (p. 5). Consequently, self-efficacy and
self-concept can predict motivation, emotion, and performance (Frank, 2011).
Learning a language within a new environment, dealing with personal circumstances,
individual actions, and having different personalities might influence students’ lives,
emotions, and learning. The environmental resources or constraints can enable or
prevent studying remotely effectively within the pandemic. In the research reported
here, inefficient Internet, not having a place to study, or have other responsibilities
such as the supervision of elders, adults, or children are stressors that could affect
students’ lives to succeed in learning a language. In addition to environmental factors,
personal and behavioral factors were included in this research to account for students’
life, emotions, and well-being.
3. METHODOLOGY
An exploratory mixed-method approach was adopted in this study (Cresswell & Plano
Clark, 2018).
3.1 Participants
Eighty-nine students provided consent to participate in this anonymous research
study; however, not all completed all questions or disclosed their identities. Data is
reported on 68 students (12 male, 53 female, and three non-binary) who were enrolled
in a language course at an American institution, comprising 63 undergraduate
students, four graduate students, and one unidentified. In Fall 2020, 61 participants
reported learning 7 foreign languages: 3 Arabic (4.91%), 1 Chinese (1.63%), 13
French (21.31%), 3 German (4.91%), 1 Japanese (1.63%), 4 Russian (6.55%), and
36 Spanish (59.01%). Of those participants, 23.08% were enrolled in a first-year
language class, 23.08% were in a second-year language class, 36.92% were in a third-
year language class, and 16.92% were enrolled in a fourth-year language class. In
Spring 2021, 66 American students reported studying 8 foreign languages to fulfill
their language requirement, with the breakdown as follows: 2 Arabic (3.03%), 2
Chinese (3.03%), 15 French (22.72%), 4 German (6.06%), 2 Italian (3.03%), 1
Japanese (1.51%), 3 Russian (4.54%), and 37 Spanish (56.06%). Of these
participants, 15.63% were enrolled in a first-year language class, 25% in a second-
year language class, 39.09 % in a third-year language class, and 20.31% in a fourth-
year language class.
3.2 Instrument and data collection
This researcher designed an anonymous online survey administered via Qualtrics
between May 20 and June 16, 2021. The items were designed using published articles
that inform about the importance of students’ wellbeing in the learning process during
the pandemic (Russell, 2020; Hartshorn & McMurry, 2020; Kaisar & Chowdhury, 2020;
Hapsari, 2021). The survey comprised three types of items: A) Multiple-choice items
using either a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 1=Strongly Disagree or Strongly
Ineffective to 5=Strongly Agree or Strongly Effective) or a 5-point Likert scale for
frequency (0=Never to 5=Every day). Each multiple-choice item contained up to 12
sub-items. B) Binary format questions, requiring a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response. C) One open-
ended question encouraging free-form responses.
Following IRB approval, the researcher reached out to language advisors across
various public and private institutions. These advisors were requested to distribute an
anonymous survey link via email, inviting language students to participate in the
study.
The anonymous online survey consisted of 26 items distributed within four sections:
background information, students' life, emotions and wellbeing, and online language
classes:
1. Thirteen items were about demographic information, contextual information,
and their perceptions of learning a language. This section reported gender,
target language, language level, information about their institution,
motivation, organization skills, self-efficacy, online communication abilities,
and preference for completing a language course.
2. Nine items were about students’ life based on environmental factors such as
having efficient Internet, locations to attend class, having a place to study,
time spent at different locations, responsibilities such as the supervision of
elders, adults, or children or perceptions about personal strategies (e.g.,
studying and separating from distractions) and environmental strategies (e.g.,
friends and family expecting to answer them right away).
3. Three items (2 with 7 to 10 statements indicating their level of agreement or
disagreement) about their psychological and mental health within the
pandemic and one open-ended item to provide any additional information
about language students’ strategies, emotions, and well-being.
4. One item with twelve statements for participants agreeing or disagreeing about
what an online language course should offer according to their needs.
3.3 Data Analysis
Data were analyzed both quantitative and qualitatively. Basic descriptive statistics
were employed for the survey response items. Content analysis (Lune & Berg, 2017)
was used to look for the existence and frequency of concepts, represented by
utterances, in the participant students’ answers to the open-ended question on the
survey. These were coded and used to identify emergent themes.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Category one examined language participants’ perceptions of their motivation,
organization skills, computer self-efficacy, online communication abilities, preferences,
environmental factors, and individual strategies to complete a language course.
Overall, 91.93 % (62 out of 67) reported being self-motivated to learn a language
without considering the delivery format of the course, and 8.07% (5 out of 67)
reported not being self-motivated. 78.12% (50 out of 64) reported having organization
skills to complete a language course without considering the delivery format, and
21.87% (14 out of 64) reported not having those skills. 92.42% (61 out of 66) reported
having computer self-efficacy and online communication abilities. 7.58 %, (5 out of
66) reported not having those abilities. One of those five participants commented on
not being able to complete the course if it was completely asynchronous. Regarding
their preferences to complete a language course, participants were asked to rate their
general agreement or disagreement with different delivery formats on a 5- point Likert
scale (1= strongly disagree and 5= strongly agree). Overall, participants reported a
positive preference for a face-to-face course with technology involvement for
instruction and for assignments to complete at home (95.38% agree or strongly agree,
M=4.35, SD=.53). They also reported a negative preference for an online course with
asynchronous assignments and without synchronous meetings with the instructor and
peers (73.85% disagree or strongly disagree, M=1.98, SD=1.06; see Table 1). These
results support teachers’ perceptions about their teaching preferences (Pardo-
Ballester,2021, 2022), on a 5-point Likert scale. For more insights into Spanish
language teachers’ perceptions regarding teaching preferences or student learning,
refer to the author’s article from 2021, p. 343. Additionally, for a comprehensive
understanding of language teachers’ health, emotions, teaching practices, and
strategies, see Pardo-Ballester's work from 2022, pp. 275-281.
Table 1. Participants’ preferences to complete a language course (N=65)
As for environmental factors, 90.91% (60 out of 66) reported having efficient Internet
to complete their language course, but six of these students reported that the Internet
is always tricky to predict, and on-campus or in a different location the Internet
connection could crash. 9.09% (6 out of 66) reported not having efficient Internet.
79.03% (49 out of 62) reported having a home office or a quiet space to study and
20.97% (13 out of 62) reported not having a quiet space to study. Participants were
asked to rate their current location work arrangement on a 5- point Likert scale (1=
extremely ineffective and 5= strongly effective) to perform their studies effectively.
From this data, we learned that 20.96% (13 out of 62) of students reported extremely
ineffective or ineffective locations to work in their classes, while 62.90% (39 out of 62)
of students rated their new locations effective or extremely effective. A 16.13% of
students reported neither ineffective nor effective (10 out of 62). An interesting
difference between the pandemic and a regular semester is the percentage of time spent
at different locations. During the pandemic (spring 2021) participants reported attending
classes 67.21% (41 out of 61) from their homes or dorms and the rest of the students
32.79% (20 out of 61) reported attending classes from campus, from a coffee shop or
in their friends’ homes. During a typical semester 29.85%, (20 out of 67) reported
attending classes from their homes or dorms and 68.65% (46 out of 67) reported
spending class time on campus or at a coffee shop. One participant commented on being
a new student and therefore did not have a normal semester yet. A small percentage of
students 4.84% (3 out of 62) reported being responsible for managing care for or
supervision of children. One of these three reported taking care of three children and
two of them of six or more children. In addition, 96.77% (60 out of 62) were not
responsible for managing care for or supervision of elders or adults. Only 3.23% (2 out
of 62) reported having this responsibility.
To understand individual strategies employed to complete the language course,
participants were asked to rate their agreement on a 5-point scale (1=strongly disagree
to 5=strongly agree) across ten statements. Four of these statements focused on
influencing self-efficacy beliefs (refer to items 3, 4, 8, and 9 in Table 2), while the
Statements of preference
M
SD
Variance
1. Only F2F without technology involvement
3.18
1.16
1.35
2. F2F with technology involvement (videos, PPT) & for
assignments to complete at home
4.35
0.57
0.32
3. Online with asynchronous assignments & synchronous
meetings with instructor and peers
3.29
1.05
1.10
4. Online with asynchronous assignments without
synchronous meetings with instructor and peers
1.98
1.06
1.12
5. Online with asynchronous assignments & synchronous
meetings with a coach and 3 or 4 peers at the time I decide
3.12
1.05
1.09
remaining six encompassed self-concept beliefs, including aspects of self-knowledge and
self-evaluative feelings (Bandura & Jourden, 1991; Frank, 2011).
Table 2. Self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs (N=61)
Results from statements 3 and 4 revealed that participants know that their families and
friends want them to succeed academically and these results of disagreements (M=2.25,
SD=1.15, and M=1.90, SD=.82) support Bandura’s (1997) opportunities for social
feedback to influence self-efficacy beliefs, which in turn contribute to academic
performance over and above actual ability (Bandura, 1997). Statement 8 ('Friends see
me as highly focused on my classes' with M=3.92, SD=.91) depicted a mildly positive
perception, emphasizing the notable influence of social and evaluative feedback on self-
efficacy beliefs. Conversely, responses to statement 9 ('Friends see me as highly focused
on my family' with M=3.18, SD=1.03) indicated a more neutral stance, suggesting that
familial influences might not significantly impede students' academic progress. In terms
of self-concept, the findings from statement 1 ('I check my computer…a message has
arrived' with M=3.85, SD=1.16) indicate that contemporary individuals are more
susceptible to distractions, likely influenced by factors such as the digital era and the
ongoing pandemic. Similarly, results from statement 2 ('I keep my camera off during
synchronous online meetings' with M=2.95, SD=1.17) align with the challenges
associated with online learning. These challenges may encompass issues like poor
Internet connectivity (Hapsari, 2021) and the absence of a compulsion to present
oneself physically (Kaisar & Chowdhury, 2020). Participants expressed agreement with
statement 6 ( “I don’t like to have to think about family issues when I am in class” with
M=4.13, SD=.80), a sentiment crucial in evaluating one's achievements, especially
when influenced by significant others (Bong & Skaalvik, 2003; Frank, 2011). The
findings from statement 5 ('I respond to personal communication during class time' with
M=3.02, SD=1.15) and statement 7 (“If I study... I separate myself from any
distractions” with M=3.08, SD=1.16) underscore students' inclination for social
Statements of self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs
M
SD
Variance
1. I check my computer/phone/tablet as soon as I see or hear
that a new message has arrived.
3.85
1.16
1.34
2. I keep my camera off during synchronous online meetings.
2.95
1.17
1.36
3. My family members expect me to respond to electronic
communication immediately during class time.
2.25
1.15
1.33
4. My friends expect me to respond to their messages right away
even if I am in class.
1.90
0.82
0.68
5. I respond to personal communication during class time.
3.02
1.15
1.33
6. I don’t like to have to think about family issues when I am in
class.
4.13
0.80
0.64
7. If I study from home/dorm, I separate myself from any
distractions.
3.08
1.16
1.35
8. Friends see me as highly focused on my classes.
3.92
0.91
0.83
9. Friends see me as highly focused on my family.
3.18
1.03
1.07
10. I change my class schedule as needed for my family or
personal life.
2.93
1.23
1.50
connectedness (Lomicka, 2020) and their consideration of self-perception in alignment
with others' viewpoints (Bong & Skaalvik, 2003; Frank, 2011). Participants reported
neutral results for statement 10 ('I change my class schedule as needed for my family
or personal life' with M=2.93, SD=1.23), suggesting that students' achievements or
setbacks may be influenced by causal attributions (Bong & Skaalvik, 2003; Frank, 2011).
For category two, participants were asked to rate their agreement or disagreement on
seven statements about their emotions and needs within the pandemic on a 5- point
Likert scale (1= strongly disagree and 5= strongly agree). In Table 3, we learned that
participants agreed with the need to have time for themselves in order to be happy
(M=4.62, SD=0.55). We also learned that overall language students do not think about
quitting their language classes (M=1.85, SD=.99) which we could interpret as language
teachers do an excellent job motivating students to learn a language. Participants
reported being very satisfied with the language they chose (M=4.54, SD=.56). This
satisfaction could be related to the effort teachers put to motivate their students before
and during the pandemic (Pardo-Ballester, 2022). However, participants recognized not
doing much of an effort to attend events related to improving their language (M=2.41,
SD=1.11). The reasons could be a few such as lack of time for extracurricular activities,
responsibilities with family or work, or lack of motivation. Furthermore, students
perceived that they improved their language (M=2.59, SD=1.14). These results were
not in line with those that Hapsari (2021) found with students in Indonesia that were
studying English Education in the spring of 2020. 70% of Hapsari’s students feared that
they would not make sufficient language progress. Kaisar and Howdhury (2020)
discovered that 108 Bangladeshi college students, who were learning English,
experienced anxiety and concurred that virtual classrooms yielded lower language
achievement. Results from feeling more connected with their teachers as they used to
be before the pandemic (M=2.41, SD=1.14) were not positive. These results are similar
to those reported by Hapsari (2021) and Kaisar and Howdhury (2020), who found that
learners felt isolated due to the lack of interaction. Our results also showed a light
agreement with being able to balance the demands of the language classes and family
or personal lives (M=3.77, SD=1.05). This finding supports learners’ perceptions that
students’ workload levels were higher at the beginning of the pandemic than after a year
of dealing with the pandemic and online teaching (Hapsari, 2021).
Table 3. Students’ perceptions of their feelings and needs (N=61)
Statements of needs and emotional reactions
M
SD
Variance
1. I need to have time for myself for my own happiness.
4.62
0.55
0.30
2. I am very satisfied with the language/s I chose.
4.54
0.56
0.31
3. I frequently think of quitting my language studies.
1.85
0.99
0.98
4. I am able to balance the demands of my language classes
and the demands of my family/personal life.
3.77
1.05
1.09
5. I attended student events related to languages to learn
the language better.
2.41
1.11
1.23
6. During the pandemic, I feel my language performance is
the same as before the pandemic.
2.59
1.14
1.29
7. During the pandemic, I feel more connected to my
language teachers than before the pandemic.
2.41
1.14
1.29
Table 4 presents the ratings provided by participants on a frequency scale for ten
statements. These statements, all beginning with 'During the pandemic...,' prompted
participants to express their feelings, rating the frequency on a scale of 1. Never, 2.
Once a month, 3. A few times, 4. Once a week, 5. A few times per week, and 6. Every
day. The expectations were that after the onset of the pandemic, students did not feel
overwhelmed with language courses because previous studies reported that language
teachers were flexible, had compassion, and were patient with their students (Pardo-
Ballester,2022). Results from the participant students’ frequency of exhaustion indicate
that learners did not feel as exhausted in their language classes (M=3.36, SD= 1.52)
when compared with the exhausting feelings they felt at work (M=3.93, SD=1.76) and
in other classes (M=4.66, SD=1.38). In addition, once a week participants reported
feeling satisfied when meeting their teachers and peers for their online meeting
(M=3.98, SD=1.48). These findings disagree with Maican and Cocorada’s research study
(2021), which found that some students in the humanities had higher negative emotions
and anxiety levels due to a lack of interaction with teachers and peers when compared
to STEM students who are not so used to collaboration and interaction. Our participants
felt exhausted to keep up with their language assignments (M=3.21, SD=1.65), but
their language assignments were not always the cause for feeling fatigued in the
morning (M=2.82, SD=1.51). Participants were also satisfied with the flexibility, self-
paced learning (M=3.61, SD=1.45), and engagement (M=3.74, SD=1.49). These
results agree with Hapsari (2021) reporting students’ satisfaction with their language
classes one year after the onset of the pandemic.
Table 4. Frequency of students’ emotions and wellbeing (N=61)
The participant students provided additional information on language strategies,
emotions, and well-being. Their comments led to the emergence of three themes that,
according to Bandura (1997), individuals use to judge their efficacy beliefs: 1)
Physiological and emotional states, 2) social persuasion, and 3) affective processes.
Statements of emotions and well-being
M
SD
Variance
1. I feel emotionally exhausted from my language classes.
3.36
3.36
2.30
2. I feel emotionally exhausted from my other classes.
4.66
4.66
1.90
3. I feel emotionally exhausted from my work.
3.93
3.93
3.10
4. being with peers and a language teacher is stressful for me.
2.59
2.59
2.77
5. I feel fatigued when I get up in the morning and think about
my language classes.
2.82
1.51
2.28
6. I feel satisfied when I meet my language teacher and peers
during virtual language classes.
3.98
1.48
2.18
7. my language teacher informed me that I needed to be better
prepared for my virtual meetings.
1.28
0.73
0.53
8. I feel emotionally exhausted when staying on top of my
language assignments.
3.21
1.65
2.73
9. I feel satisfied with the flexibility of online language
assignments for self-paced learning.
3.61
1.45
2.11
10. I feel satisfied with my level of engagement in the second
language.
3.74
1.49
2.23
Bandura (1997) stated that individuals’ beliefs concerning their efficacy can be
developed by the influence of physiological and emotional states. For example, we can
interpret these students’ comments about stress, anxiety, and negative emotions as
altering efficacy beliefs. According to Redmond (2010), individuals experiencing reduced
anxiety or agitation tend to possess higher self-efficacy beliefs. Although physiological
and emotional states exert relatively minimal influence on self-efficacy assessment, their
consideration remains significant. For instance, one of the participant students
experienced a pervasive lack of motivation, struggles with focus, resulting in mental
health challenges, and a feeling of inadequate preparation due to the online format of
classes:
(1) It was not specifically with language classes, but I felt in general overall lack of
motivation to complete online lectures or assignments. I found it extremely hard
to focus, even in a quiet study environment. I also felt like my workload increased,
and that in combination with my inability to focus makes tasks even more difficult
and I still don’t feel like I learned anything. We faced intense burnout, mental
health problems, harder classes, no social interaction, and a lack of deeper-level
learning that would actually prepare us. (Student 36).
The comments for social or verbal persuasion showed both sides, teachers who
strengthen individuals’ beliefs by verbal persuasion and motivate them to succeed, and
teachers who undermine learners’ motivation by telling them they are not good enough
and they end up giving up. We can appreciate the diverse personal experiences and
perceptions shared by two students regarding their interactions with language teachers
and their feelings towards their courses:
(2) I actually dropped French because it was too much…I felt discouraged by where
I was at compared to other students and decided to quit…But I just felt ashamed
and not supported. My professor… put us down saying, “you guys just aren’t
where you should be,” “practice more,” “…it’s just going to keep getting harder
as we go on, so if you don’t know these things now, then you’re going to be
drowning after. (Student 15).
(3) …. she really cared for her students by being flexible and understanding of the
pandemic while learning Spanish. (Student 10).
The participant students commented on the quantity of homework and the teaching
mode of their classes. Both stressors represent difficult situations especially when
students feel they have no control of their situations. Students’ beliefs in their own
coping capabilities can seriously affect their level of motivation (Bandura, 1997). As one
of the students explained:
(4) I think lowering the number of assignments would be very helpful. Both for Arabic
and Spanish, the quantity of homework was exhausting, absolutely exhausting
on comparison to my other classes. It makes an enjoyable activity quite daunting
at times. (Student 46).
Category three investigated participants’ agreement and disagreement about what an
online language course should include, with the idea of addressing the specific needs of
our students. Students rated the proposed statements on a 5- point Likert scale. The
statements relate to teaching models, individual behaviors, and social persuasion (see
Table 5).
Table 5. Participants’ needs for success when studying online (N=58)
Participants rated statements 1 and 2 in relation to oral interaction as very high (M=
4.43, SD=.77 and M=4.57, SD=.62). These findings corroborate research showing that
learners perceive that involvement in real-time conversational activities is overall
beneficial to language acquisition (Petterson, 2021). Statements 3, 6, 7, and 11 relate
to self-efficacy and motivated learning behavior. Participants agreed or strongly agreed
on the importance of strategic planning (M=4.41, SD=.67), and setting challenging
goals such as being highly involved with the course (M=4.41, SD=.70) or staying on top
of their assignments (M=4.52, SD=.68). On the same token, participants recognized
their strong disagreement (M=1.55, SD=.70) with being very little involved with the
course. Results indicated a strong relevance of participants’ perceptions of being
proactive to be successful. These results lend support to other research findings on
important students’ willingness to assume personal responsibility for their learning and
success (Bandura, 1997; Zimmerman, 2013; Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2021). Participants
also reported a very positive effect on students’ success when teachers have a positive
attitude and are dedicated to their students (M=4.81, SD=.39). The same positive effect
on their students’ learning was perceived when teachers provide feedback to learners
(M=4.76, SD=.43), when flexibility is offered to complete assignments (M=4.14,
SD=.88), and when teachers motivate their students to complete assignments by
sending reminders (M=4.22, SD=.85). These students’ perceptions are in line with the
findings on teachers’ perceptions about their teaching practices and strategies (Pardo-
Ballester, 2022). In addition, these findings are related to social persuasion, which is
important because it suggests a way to strengthen efficacy. When an educator gives
positive feedback and persuades his students about their capabilities to perform specific
Statements of what an online language course should have
M
SD
Variance
1. Synchronous peer-to-peer oral interaction with the entire
class & my teacher
4.43
0.77
0.59
2. Synchronous peer-to-peer oral interaction with the small
groups & my teacher or a coach
4.57
0.62
0.38
3. Peer preparedness for synchronous meetings
4.41
0.67
0.45
4. Teacher’s dedication and positive attitude
4.81
0.39
0.15
5. Weekly reminders from my teacher about assignments I
need to complete
4.22
0.85
0.73
6. Low level of engagement with the course
1.55
0.70
0.49
7. High level of engagement with the course
4.41
0.70
0.48
8. Flexibility with online tasks & assignments for self-paced
learning
4.14
0.88
0.77
9. Feedback from my teacher when needed
4.76
0.43
0.18
10. Asynchronous activities
3.86
0.90
0.81
11. Staying on top of my assignments
4.52
0.68
0.46
12. Weekly reflections on my learning
3.17
1.18
1.38
tasks well, they will be motivated and work hard to succeed. Similarly, if students receive
negative feedback and do not receive the teacher’s support, their learning and
motivation to succeed will be affected (Bandura, 1997; Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2021).
Regarding the statement about having weekly reflections on one’s learning, results
indicated that students were impartial about including them in a course (M=3.17,
SD=1.18). This finding was expected because even though reflective assignments are
very effective for language learning, it is time-consuming for the teacher (Pardo-
Ballester, 2022). In order to help learners’ effectiveness with their learning, teachers
should make an effort to include self-reflections as assignments. Research has shown
that behavioral strategies such as self-evaluation, self-reflection, planning, and
monitoring are self-regulated learning strategies that have a positive effect on learners’
performance (Zimmerman, 2013). Students were moderately positive (M=3.86;
SD=.90) about the inclusion of asynchronous activities within an online course which
was not surprising due to the technological demands brought with the emergency
remote teaching.
5. CONCLUSIONS
While the present study revealed learners’ positive perceptions of learning post-
pandemic, it comes with acknowledged limitations. Results are based on self-reported
data, and the online survey had a limited duration, necessitating further extensive
research to delve into students’ evolving perceptions in the aftermath of the pandemic's
onset.
COVID-19 made us all reevaluate the way we have been living. Many of us have been
resilient and have changed our views on the world. Students faced challenges during
the 2020 lockdown, including deficits in social skills, motivation, and attention spans
(Hartshorn & McMurry, 2020). The quarantine and aftermath exacerbated mental health
issues, evident in increased anxiety and depression cases, amplified consultations with
mental health professionals (Williams & Reetz, 2020), heightened isolation, loneliness,
and exacerbated family conflicts. According to Field (2021), many students tend to use
medications, highlighting the importance of using strategies like managing time
effectively. Our study revealed that students feel the need to stay connected socially
and often get distracted by their devices when they receive notifications. This distraction
affects their focus on work, as indicated by their neutral responses regarding separating
themselves from distractions or responding to emails.
In alignment with prior studies (Moser et al., 2021; Jin et al., 2021), our research
underscores a preference for face-to-face supplemented by technology in language
learning. The pandemic, despite its fears and uncertainties, became a learning ground
for both students and educators. Notably, we found that social and evaluative feedback
significantly influences self-efficacy beliefs. Our participants perceived crucial support
for their learning and education from family and friends, which plays a pivotal role in
achieving success. Moreover, it is not just family and friends who influence participants’
self-efficacy beliefs; teachers also emerged as influential figures. Participants
highlighted teachers’ flexibility and motivational support as catalysts for their success.
While institutions face substantial losses, this study reveals that students remain
committed to language studies. One year following the pandemic’s onset, students
reported an improvement in their language skills, now adept at managing the demands
of language classes alongside their personal lives. Essential strategies for success
encompass diverse instructional models (online, hybrid, face-to-face), accompanied by
requisite technological support and preparation (Jin et al., 2021; Pardo-Ballester, 2022).
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