Online Courses in the Higher Education System of Iran: A Stakeholder-Based Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers’ Acceptance, Learning Achievement, and Satisfaction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v21i4.4873Keywords:
acceptance, challenges, online learning, preservice teacher training, student achievement, TEFL stakeholdersAbstract
This study focused on the acceptance level of higher education stakeholders of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) of online courses in Iran and pre-service teachers’ learning achievement in online courses. Three cohorts of participants who were teaching or learning in online courses included pre-service teachers of TEFL (n=104), TEFL university instructors (n=23), and heads of TEFL departments (n=10). A questionnaire was designed. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to detect differences among the perspectives of the participants. Semi-structured interviews were also utilized. Results indicated that there were significant differences among the perspectives of the three groups of participants about online courses. The pre-service teachers appeared to be relatively positive about online learning, while the university instructors and heads of departments showed a lower level of satisfaction. The participants pointed out several challenges, including the lack of rigor of online courses, the incredibility of the certificates, the lack of technological infrastructures, technical problems, the impractical content of the lessons, the lack of human interaction, the low competence levels of online learning students, and employers’ lack of interest in employing graduates of online courses. The participants also mentioned that pedagogical and technological training was required for both university instructors and pre-service teachers of TEFL. The comparison of pre-service teachers’ mid-term and final scores in the online courses showed a significant difference and improvement of students’ learning achievement in online courses with medium to large effect sizes. In the interviews, the participants also confirmed that online courses could improve student learning.
References
Ahmed Abdullah, N., & Sultana Mirza, M. (2020). Evaluating preservice teaching practice for online and distance education students in Pakistan: Evaluation of teaching practice. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(2), 81–97. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v21i2.4606
bin Mohd Amin, M. R., Kumar Piaralal, S., Rosli bin Daud, Y., & bin Mohamed, B. (2020). An empirical study on service recovery satisfaction in an open and distance learning higher education institution in Malaysia. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(2), 36–60. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v21i2.4578
Dashtestani, R. (2014). English as a foreign language—Teachers’ perspectives on implementing online instruction in the Iranian EFL context. Research in Learning Technology, 22. https://doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v22.20142
Fortune, M. F., Spielman, M., & Pangelinan, D. T. (2011). Students’ perceptions of online or face-to-face learning and social media in hospitality, recreation, and tourism. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 7(14). Retrieved from https://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/fortune_0311.htm
Grimes, E. B. (2002). Student perceptions of an online dental terminology course. Journal of Dental Education, 66(1), 100–107. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.0022-0337.2002.66.1.tb03503.x
Hughes, M., & Daykin, N. (2002). Towards constructivism: Investigating students’ perceptions and learning as a result of using an online environment. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 39(3), 217-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/13558000210150036
Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A.J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2)112–133. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689806298224
Karaman, S. (2011). Nurses’ perceptions of online continuing education. BMC Medical Education, 11, 86. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-11-86
Kim, K. J., Liu, S., & Bonk, C. J. (2005). Online MBA students’ perceptions of online learning: Benefits, challenges, and suggestions. The Internet and Higher Education, 8(4), 335–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2005.09.005
Lee, H., Chang, H., & Bryan, L. (2020). Doctoral students’ learning success in online-based leadership programs: Intersection with technological and relational factors. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1), 61–81. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.4462
Lowenthal, P., Bauer, C., & Chen, K. Z. (2015). Student perceptions of online learning: An analysis of online course evaluations. American Journal of Distance Education, 29(2), 85–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2015.1023621
Stone, M. T., & Perumean-Chaney, S. (2011). The benefits of online teaching for traditional classroom pedagogy: A case study for improving face-to-face instruction. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 7(3), 393–400. Retrieved from https://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no3/stone_0911.pdf
Westine, C. D., Oyarzun, B., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Casto, A., Okraski, C., Park, G., Person, J., & Steele, L. (2019). Familiarity, current use, and interest in universal design for learning among online university instructors. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(5), 20–41. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.4258
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. The copyright of all content published in IRRODL is retained by the authors.
This copyright agreement and use license ensures, among other things, that an article will be as widely distributed as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific and/or scholarly archive.
You are free to
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms below:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
