SECOND YEAR EFL STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND CHALLENGES TOWARDS ICT INTEGRATION IN ORAL PERFORMANCE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

At the dawn of a new millennium, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have enormously shaped the scope of teaching and learning the English language. Speaking as a core skill in the process of acquiring a language requires a well-equipped environment (classroom) where students fulfill the intended targets. Besides, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, education is altering. Teachers all throughout the world have been attempting to address the most important educational issues posed by the pandemic, notably the lockdown. Therefore, this study aims at investigating students’ attitudes and challenges towards the integration of digital devices in oral performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A case study research was conducted, with the use of two research instruments;a questionnaire and an interview for second-year LMD students at the Department of English at the University of Bordj Bou Arreridj. Furthermore, the data obtained were both qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The main results have shown that students had a highly positive attitude towards the integration of ICT in oral performance during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Also, it has been revealed that they have encountered certain difficulties, which are classified into four themes; technical problems, lack of experience in using ICTs, interaction problems between students and instructors, and lack of teachers’ training. Finally, some recommendations were provided to help in achieving a successful implementation of ICT