ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease, often known as COVID-19, has been a global pandemic since March 2020. According to UNESCO, schools in approximately 100 nations, including the Philippines, are shuttered due to a public health emergency. Due to the condition, teachers migrated from face-to-face instruction to modular learning, online learning, blended learning, and other learning modes. Teachers in Tacloban City switched to modular modality and other forms of learning to reach out to our students. Supplemental teaching was designed as one type of teaching approach in the classroom. Teachers' perceptions of supplemental teaching in English language acquisition were analyzed in this study. Their perspectives were examined in three areas: their opinions on using online platforms, their attitudes toward language teaching and preparations, and their perceptions of the usefulness of online supplemental teaching. The study utilized a qualitative design that gathered in-depth information through a semi-structured interview. The responses of 12 junior and senior high school English instructors at Sagkahan National High School were elicited through an interview. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 7 out of 12 participants had a favorable opinion of the effectiveness of supplemental teaching-learning methods, according to the findings of this study. However, 5 of the 12 respondents disagreed about its usefulness. Even though teachers confront numerous challenges in the online teaching process, they can demonstrate the proper attitude toward using technology to educate online amidst the pandemic.
Keywords: perception, supplemental teaching, online learning, English teachers, COVID-19 pandemic
INTRODUCTION
COVID-19, a new coronavirus, has been discovered. This emergence and the World Health Organization's (WHO, 2020) declaration of a pandemic as a result of the virus's rapid spread across borders caused an unexpected lockdown in nearly all parts of the world. More than 91 percent of students, or about 1.6 billion children, were removed from the educational setting Miks & McIlwaine (2020). In this situation, schools and higher education institutions worldwide were forced to discontinue face-to-face education in favor of online courses, which caused confusion and had a direct impact on all stakeholders such as students, teachers, families, and administrators. The situation created a massive effect on people from biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and economic perspectives, resulting in severe issues in overall life and education (Arslan et al., 2020; Tanhan, 2020).
Governments throughout the world have made education continuity a priority. Countries have used distant learning with the support of various degrees of technical infrastructure during the epidemic, as evidenced (Can, 2020). Teachers had to develop teaching strategies to deal with the present way of teaching as part of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan. A desire for innovation in teaching methodologies emerged from traditional to non-traditional tutoring that focuses on collaboration and engagement for supporting students. Physical, in-person (or face-to-face) learning settings quickly gave way to virtual, online learning environments for teaching and learning. These have posed significant difficulties for both language teachers and students. They've had to quickly adapt to new learning methods and surroundings while coping with the pandemic's personal and social repercussions on their everyday lives and well-being.
As education has altered considerably, e-learning has emerged, in which teaching is done remotely and via digital platforms. With the introduction of technology and the Internet, many questions have been raised about the ideal style of instruction. Teachers attempted to reach out to learners during the pandemic via distant learning. Through its innovations, teachers, particularly Language teachers, undertook extra teaching to reach out to learners.
In most educational settings, they combine technology with traditional language learning and teaching methods to bridge the gap and improve the language learning and teaching process. Educators and researchers have discovered that technology plays the most crucial role in raising learners' awareness, providing knowledge, and facilitating English language learning. E-learning can help learners improve their linguistic skills, develop their ability in punctuation, grammar, and spelling, and provide opportunities to enhance their performance in writing, listening, speaking, and reading skills. Additionally, integrating technology in education plays a vital role in facilitating English language teaching and learning environments by digitizing all content and making it available on demand. Aside from the utility of technological devices to improve EFL learners' English language skills (Ahmadi & Reza, 2018; Hasanand, 2017; Holtman, 2009; Lai & Kritsonis, 2006; Milonm & Abu-Ayfah, 2020; Pozzobon, 2008).
Numerous investigations have been undertaken to investigate technology in various settings. A classroom environment that promotes language learning and teaching. For example, Shadiev and Yang (2020) defined technology as "the use of technical processes, methods, or knowledge to complete a learning task or instructional goal." Several studies have concluded that using technology in the classroom for language learning and instruction is beneficial and is just as effective as traditional methods for assisting and improving learners' performance, interaction, feedback effect, and motivation (Golonka et al. (2014); Shadiev & Huang, 2020). As a result, using innovative digital approaches to provide authentic learning experiences through multimedia lessons, engaging e-activities, and interactive e-discussions can motivate learners to improve their language learning experiences.
According to Gómez et al. (2012), distance learning and online learning are synonyms because they use the same instructional methods to deliver various instructional materials. Their research on students' perceptions of a web-based distance course discovered that using technological tools such as chats, forums, e-mails, and videos allows students to successfully communicate, interact, and provide feedback on course content. Similarly, students had positive attitudes toward online learning because it offered numerous benefits such as saving time, effort, and money. Furthermore, Al Zumor et al. (2013) stated that using technological tools in the classroom effectively enriches English skills and increases students' confidence and cooperation in language learning.
Kundu and Bej (2020) conducted an exploratory study to determine teachers' challenges and successes when implementing online teaching-learning. There were 141 teachers from all over the world among the attendees. The findings revealed that both teachers and education systems were not fully prepared for this shift. Teachers faced numerous challenges, including a lack of student and parent engagement, the need for training, limited access to digital equipment, unclear monitoring mechanisms, and other systematic obstacles.
Al-Khresheh (2021) investigated how the pandemic influenced and informed Jordanian EFL teachers' beliefs about EFL teaching. The teachers explained how the pandemic had severely limited and complicated pedagogical activities by limiting education to online platforms. The most critical aspect of sustaining EFL teaching was providing students with a constructive learning environment outside of the school context. Traditional teaching methods are unattainable due to health and safety concerns. These led to the third point, in which teachers emphasized the particular skill set required to effectively conduct lessons for EFL students, putting additional strain on educators. The skillset is divided into four distinct teaching areas: assuming, planning, preparing, and performing (hence, the four P's).
Nashir and Laili (2021) conducted a study with 50 English teachers from Banyuwangi on the perceptions of English teachers toward the shift from face-to-face teaching to online teaching during the outbreak of COVID-19. According to the study's findings, teachers' perceptions of virtual education have not been thoroughly evaluated. Because teachers could not adequately monitor students' learning activities, only about 35% of learners were active and severe about participating in virtual learning and submitting their assignments on time. Approximately 68 percent of teachers felt that their workload was heavier than in face-to-face learning because they needed more time to operate appropriate virtual learning media and learning to boost students' motivations and desires in English lessons.
Finally, Astuti and Solikhah (2021) investigated teachers' perceptions of teaching English using an online system and how teachers prepare to teach objectives, materials, methods, and evaluation processes during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings revealed that teaching English is perceived to be complicated. The primary impediment was the limited availability of support systems and internet quotas. Because learners only had Android mobile devices to access the online lessons, some of the applicable teaching methods or online teaching were primarily Google Classroom and Google Meet. The evaluation process was entirely reliant on Google Forms; paper-based evaluations were conducted, with students expected and required to submit their work online.
The success of language learning development is dependent on genuine interaction between educators and their students. This interaction can be achieved by using technological tools in the educational system. According to studies, using technology to develop language skills, provide appropriate feedback, and improve the learning environment through realistic communication between students and teachers was beneficial. Students were also pleased to learn a language in settings that used technological techniques. However, a few researchers stated that using the distance education system to teach English is extremely difficult due to the lack of direct interaction between teachers and students (Ghanizadeh et al., 2015; Memić-Fišić & Bijedić, 2017).
A comprehensive study based on an integrative literature review is required to build on research findings based on challenges encountered, problem-solving, the benefits or drawbacks of emergency online teaching, teaching practices and platforms, technological resources, and student and teacher-related issues. An examination of the literature reveals that there is a major gap in terms of an integrative literature review study that reviews and synthesizes studies from the available literature for this important period. For several reasons, the experiences of English teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic of language teaching and learning within emergency online education are significant. To begin, researchers, academics, English language teachers, students, and other stakeholders must understand the global impact of the pandemic, particularly on language education. Following that, learning from the shortcomings and strengths of emergency online teaching and learning from a global perspective may assist program developers. During such important periods, instructors, students, families, and school administrators can all help to improve the quality and efficiency of language instruction. Integrative review studies allow for generating generalizable conclusions from a research standpoint. As a result, a review study illuminating the world's experience with emergency online English language teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic may provide critical insights into the pedagogical and techno-pedagogical aspects.
With this goal in mind and based on research on English language teaching/learning, this study seeks to investigate the perceptions of English teachers from one of the schools in DepEd that implements supplemental teaching as an alternative mode of delivering instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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