Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Undergraduate EFL Students in Kosovo

Abstract

As most of the industries in the world, the education industry has also been impacted by the COVID-19 virus. The transition to online learning was the most expedient solution to continue education, particularly in tertiary education. Students, especially those learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), have felt the effects of the pandemic. This study seeks to better understand the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on a group of university-level EFL students engaged in e-learning for the first time. It aims to investigate the challenges faced by undergraduate students who took online EFL courses during the academic year 2020/2021. For the purposes of this study, both "Kadri Zeka” University in Gjilan and Universum College in Prishtina, Kosovo, were used as base examples of institutions affected. A mixed method was applied in this study using two instruments: an online questionnaire with students and a semi-structured interview with English professors of the above-mentioned higher education institutions. The questionnaire was sent online to 200 students and a total of 105 students answered while the interview with 9 English professors was conducted in-person. The results obtained were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The results indicate that online lectures were not the best for EFL learning, and students did not accomplish the desired results in language learning performances. Furthermore, students did not have positive feelings with regard to learning English online and faced several challenges during the online learning period.