Abstract:

It’s been approximately three years since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) began in the Wuhan region of China in December 2019. This pandemic affected the education of more than 1.6 billion learners around the world. Since February 2020 -and for more than a year in total-, most education institutions transitioned to emergency remote teaching to ensure continuity in student learning, even under sometimes fragmented national regulatory frameworks. This led to deviations from the established rules and the processes in education and examination protocols at the country level, with implications for the quality of the education that was offered. While countries and institutions with proper infrastructure managed to quickly identify how technology would meet the needs of students, several others couldn’t provide significant support, especially to those with disabilities and special educational needs, those from low-income households, and those in remote rural areas. In this context, one of the main challenges for teachers, was to ensure equal opportunities for all students. The purpose of the present study is to explore -from the teachers’ perspective- the impact of emergency remote teaching on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students with special education needs, with emphasis on the implementation and efficiency of the teaching and learning practices, the assessment and the use of technological tools.

To achieve this goal, we conducted semi-structured interviews with eight English teachers who are academically and professionally related with the scientific field of special (inclusive) education. The participating teachers were also asked to reflect on possible improvements and solutions, which can enhance the learning experience and performance of EFL students with special educational needs.

The results of the study revealed that there was lack of guidance for teachers on how to approach their students with special educational needs during emergency remote teaching; most of the times, the learning materials weren't adjusted to the needs of those students and lacked the interactivity aspect, which is fundamental for remote teaching and learning; stress levels increased for most students; the academic performance was lower during the first months of the emergency remote teaching period; there were challenges with discipline and concentration for students who face not only learning but also behavioral problems, especially those with diagnoses that require specific accommodations.

The interviewed teachers highlighted the need for high quality professional development opportunities, additional time for the development of suitable learning materials and the acquisition of the necessary hardware and software for their students, as the main proposals for improvement. At the same time, they acknowledged the opportunities that emergency remote teaching provided them with, such as the experimentation with different software and the additional opportunities for interaction and collaboration with the students and their parents through technology.

This research could be considered as the starting point for future studies, which aim to map and address the learning needs of students with learning difficulties (dyslexia, dispelling, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, etc.) and disabilities (autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy) in relation to remote learning.

Keywords:

Emergency remote teaching, special education needs, English as a foreign language, qualitative research, disability.