The Electronic Platforms Effect on English Language Teaching Strategies

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the English language universities instructors' perspectives of the effects of using electronic platforms along with face-to-face teaching methods in teaching English language. The study also investigates the teaching strategies, the learners' behaviors, and the classroom managements in both the virtual classes and the face-to-face classes. The participants of the study were 32 English language instructors from the Departments of English at the College of Arts and the College of Education for Humanities at the University of Anbar. A questionnaire was developed to collect the data of the study. A percentage was used to analyze the items of the questionnaire. The findings revealed that there was a huge gap between the teaching strategies, students' behaviors, and classroom management when delivering instruction via the electronic platforms and face-to- face classroom. There were negative educational effects of using electronic platforms in teaching English language at the Departments of English in the University of Anbar. Using electronic platforms did not help the learners to achieve the goal of learning English language, to be able to use the language in real communication, and to understand the deep knowledge that the curriculum present. The teaching strategies were restricted to one teaching method, that is the instructor centered of the educational process, while the emotional, affective, classroom management were neglected in virtual classes. The virtual realm has its own feature that the pedagogical realm needs to cope with, it is a fact that all the educational institutions need to be aware with.