Abstract:

Distance teaching and learning is not new and has been used by companies, organizations, and educational institutions all over the world for quite some time (Demiray 2003; Traxler 2018). However, due to the growing COVID-19 spread in 2020, institutions of higher education all over the world tried to move their classes to online environments quickly and continue education there. Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas, Lithuania, was not an exception. This presentation will discuss two quantitative and qualitative studies conducted using online questionnaires. Research 1 aimed to reveal VMU students’ (n=34) attitude towards different aspects of both blended and distance learning of English as a foreign language at upper-intermediate level, while Research 2 intended to reveal the university students’ (n=74) attitude towards distance learning of English as a foreign language at upper-intermediate level. The participants of the former research experienced both blended and distance ways of learning in the spring semester of 2020 during the first lockdown in Lithuania (in general, all foreign language classes at VMU use blended learning, but because of the pandemic more than a half of all the classes were held in the distance learning environment - Moodle), while the latter research participants experienced only distance learning in the fall semester of 2020 during the second lockdown in Lithuania (because the situation of the pandemic did not allow blended learning to happen, and the university decided to start distance classes from the very beginning of the semester).

The findings of Research 1 showed that the respondents were less satisfied with the development of all English skills, except for writing and listening, and their learning outcomes in distance learning classes when they experienced both blended and distance learning. This was related to the research participants’ lack of motivation to study from home or passivity of other students, which demotivated, too. The students mostly missed face-to-face communication which was the essence of traditional and blended classes. In comparison, the participants of Research 2 studied in the distance learning environment the whole semester and only one in ten students was dissatisfied with distance learning (the number was four times bigger in Research 1 when distance learning was used as a way of emergency remote learning). This and other research findings revealed that the longer the students studied in the distance learning environment, the better their attitudes towards distance learning were, even though Research 2 participants (just like the participants of Research 1) felt less motivated to study in the distance learning environment than they would have otherwise been. Nevertheless, the participants of both studies gave preference for blended rather than distance learning, even though they had had much experience studying (not necessarily English) in the distance learning environment. In addition, open ended answers revealed the main two challenges, namely technical issues and distractions in their home environment, which made distance learning more difficult, but many advantages were indicated as well. For instance, synchronous classes in the distance learning environment were convenient and saved commute time.

Keywords:

Blended learning, distance learning, EFL, VMU, university students.