Investigating TEFL Graduate Students’ Readiness for Online Learning as COVID-19 Takes Hold

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the readiness of graduate students of TEFL in terms of acceptance, technology use, confidence, availability of technology, and training for online learning during COVID 19 pandemic. The participants were 47 TEFL graduate students at Iran University of Science and Technology. A validated questionnaire with 39 items on readiness for online learning was administered. The results indicated that students were found to be more ready for using mobile technologies, browsers, office software, search engines and technological tools for doing their assignments. However, they were not willing to use email and Web 2.0 tools as the main communication tools. Considering the categories of readiness for online learning survey, the highest mean was obtained by self-confidence, while the lowest one was related to the availability of technology. The findings revealed that acceptance, self-confidence, and use of technology were at the expected level of e-readiness; however, developments for these components were required. This study recommends policymakers to take effective actions to prepare students and teachers to have adequate knowledge and readiness for taking online courses.

Keywords: acceptance, e-readiness, availability of technology, use of technology, confidence