Zammit, KatinaSkillen, MareeAloufi, Abdulrahim2024-01-232024-01-232023https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14154/71265COVID-19 required English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in higher education to shift from face-to-face delivery of content and interaction to online delivery for the learning of English. Effective online learning requires a systematic model for design and development to ensure the quality of the instruction which might be absent in emergency remote teaching (ERT) situations. ERT is a temporary shift of instructional delivery to an alternate delivery mode due to crisis circumstances which raises concerns about practices of online teaching during COVID-19. These concerns include lack of teacher’s expertise in designing online courses, the instructor’s role, pedagogical practices, level of students’ engagement and application to tasks. For EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia the shift to online delivery was a significant challenge as many believe the use of technology is an obstacle to their teaching of English, not a benefit. Teaching online demands a different approach to pedagogy beyond the didactic practices frequently employed in Saudi Arabian EFL classrooms. The aim of this study was to investigate EFL teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the teaching and learning undertaken in EFL classrooms at a higher education language Institute in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19. The study employed a mixed method–case study approach whereby both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in two main phases. Phase one involved online questionnaires undertaken by seventy-six (76) male teachers and 391 male students about the current practices of implementing and integrating technology to support Saudi male students learning English during COVID-19. Descriptive statistics was used to examine and analyse the numerical data from the questionnaires. In phase two, semi-structured interviews with seven teachers and three focus group interviews with thirteen students were also conducted to provide a more in-depth understanding of how teachers and students used technology during ERT and their perceptions of this usage to learn English. Thematic analysis was used to interpret qualitative data from the interviews and the focus groups. The findings provide an insight into the participants’ perceptions of teaching and learning during COVID-19 associated with ERT. In general, the study discovered that EFL teachers rarely used social media and other online language tools to teach English during COVID-19. Not all EFL teachers were successful in implementing ERT during COVID-19. Based on the SAMR model, their application of ERT can be viewed as being at the enhancement level with a combination of substitution (S) and augmentation (A). A few EFL teachers were able to advance to the transformation level and used various online tools to increase the interactive and engaging elements of the learning process. Few teachers, however, modified (M) or redefined (R) their teaching practices using technology. Teachers lacked technological knowledge (TK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) and, for some, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) which influenced how they designed learning. The study also showed that integrating technology to learn English during COVID-19 was a success for both EFL teachers and students. EFL teachers and students agreed that remote learning and teaching could boost students’ self-directed learning, language proficiency, and engagement. However, poor internet connection and the maintenance of the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) provided technical challenges that EFL teachers and students encountered during ERT. Overall, the findings of the thesis suggest developing the pedagogical approaches in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the field of EFL education, would benefit teachers and students, enhance remote teaching and learning, and support students’ learning. This thesis also offers a number of recommendations and implications for future research.194enEmergency Remote TeachingOnline LearningEFLThesis