Abstract:

The integration of remote sessions into language education has become increasingly prevalent, yet understanding students' perspectives of participating in remote sessions is important. In language education, remote teaching and learning continues to evolve and expand offering opportunities for students to engage with course materials, interact with teachers, and practice language skills in remote environments. However, the transition to remote language teaching has brought about new challenges and considerations for teachers and students in educational settings. Questions that arise are how remote sessions might contribute to language learning outcomes and how to identify best practices for optimising student language learning experiences. While remote sessions offer flexibility and convenience, there is a need to explore students' perspectives on the role of remote sessions in their language learning. By engaging with students as active participants in the inquiry, teachers can be informed to make remote language sessions student-centered, inclusive, and effective in promoting language proficiency and skills. This study investigates students´ experiences and perceptions when enrolled in Swedish as a second language courses regarding the role of remote sessions for their language learning. The aim of the study is to investigate students' perspectives on the usefulness, challenges, and impact of remote sessions on their language learning. For this aim, this study addresses the question of how students perceive the usefulness, challenges, and impact of remote sessions on their language learning within Swedish as a second language context. Data were collected through a qualitative methods approach via individual and group semi-structured interviews offering opportunities for in-depth exploration of students' experiences regarding remote sessions within second language context. Thematic analysis is used to analyse the data by identifying patterns, themes, and trends within the data. Preliminary results indicate themes related to students' motivations for participating in remote sessions, their experiences with different modalities of instruction (synchronous vs. asynchronous), their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of remote sessions, and their recommendations for improving remote language learning experiences. For example, students highlighted benefits of remote sessions such as increased autonomy, personalised learning, and expanded access to resources. Yet, students highlight challenges such as technical difficulties, and limitations in communication compared to face-to-face interactions. Moreover, the need to define language proficiency and articulate clear objectives for remote language learning based on students' language proficiency is highlighted. Additionally, findings show contextual factors that may influence students' remote language learning. Factors such as access to technology, prior educational experiences, schooling level and socio-cultural backgrounds can all impact students' perceptions and attitudes towards remote sessions. These results may have implications for practitioners that inform enhanced remote teaching strategies including the design of engaging lessons that address diverse learners needs. Additionally, teachers can gain insights into the strengths and limitations of this mode of teaching and how to promote instructional practices.

Keywords:

Remote learning, Remote language learning, Swedish as a second language.