Group 3

Topic: The difficulties of learning a second foreign language online during covid
19 pandemic
Abstract
While the COVID-19 pandemic expands rapidly, education has been impacted on
a major level. That is why online learning is the only way to study a second foreign
language for now. Students can utilize the internet and online service to provide
support in their own studies. As the result, students studying a foreign language
online improve their language skills and have a deeper understanding of the
language areas although they still have some problems with online learning. With
that being said, University students seem to have quite a struggle learning a
second foreign language online. A survey was done, with 100 EFL students show
that learning online can be daunting and lack explanations at times but on the
other hand this learning method is very convenient and have a multi-approach.
On a side note, preliminary results were gathered to show that learning styles and
foreign language learning difficulties indicate that regardless of any specific
language learning deficit or difficulty, a student's preferred learning style can
hinder or help the foreign language classroom succeed.

Introduction
Second language is a language acquired by a person in addition to his mother
tongue (UNESCO, 1953). English is often chosen as the second language for
countries whose mother tongue is different from English. And it helps you a lot in
personal and professional development. Contemporarily, due to the COVID-19
pandemic, schools and universities are continually searching for approaches to
ceaselessly build up the teaching and learning process to adapt to the situation.
With this need as a key driver, numerous associations have gone to e-learning out
how to facilitate this procedure of learning and teaching in an additional time-
productive and safe way (Octaberlina, L. R., & Muslimin, A. I.,2020). Online
courses meet the needs of students: (1) supporting their writing skills, and
encouraging them to search more widely online, (2) being more economical than
attending traditional face-to-face classes (Dahmash, N. 2020).
As we can see, much of the research is just into good aspects of learning the
second language, for instance, some studies have shown the importance (İsmail
Çakır, Birtan Baytar, 2014), others have shown the position and the students'
awareness in learning the second language (Eric W. Hawkins, 2010; Richard
Schmidt, 1995). However, the difficulties of learning a second foreign language
online during the COVID-19 pandemic are rarely talked about. There is a lack of
research interest in investigating students' perspectives, leading them to feel
bored, exhausted, and nervous. Accordingly, we should listen to students' voices
and look for the best solutions to this problem.
E-learning has played a peripheral role in the formal education systems related to
higher education (HE) in Vietnam. Previously, ‘distance learning’ was used to
describe ‘e-learning’. In the early 1990s, following the model of the Open
University (OU) in the UK, the Vietnamese government opened two OUs, in Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City (Thuy, 2016). Nonetheless, this pattern has not developed
strongly. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning is the best choice,
including second language learning. Specifically, at Van Lang University (VLU), non
- foreign language students who study the 2nd language online become excited
and hard because they have enough devices and time to study themselves. Today,
approaches and methods in distance education are utterly relevant, and they
should be a priority for our community, as we simultaneously train and work on
gaining the necessary software and hardware skills and competencies
(Archambault, 2011). In short, E-learning is one of the patterns that should
research and develop.

Literature review
Online Second Language Learning in general
A person's second language, or L2, is a language that is not the native language
(first language or L1) of the speaker, but is learned later (usually as a foreign
language, but it can be another language used in the speaker's home country). A
speaker's dominant language, which is the language a speaker uses most or is
most comfortable with, is not necessarily the speaker's first language. The second
language can also be the dominant one. For example, the Canadian census
defines the first language for its purposes as "the first language learned in
childhood and still spoken", recognizing that for some, the earliest language may
be lost, a process known as language attrition. This can happen when young
children move to a new language environment.
The following section presents the previous studies conducted in online learning a
non-native language during the COVID-19 crisis and some studies related to
online learning. The real efficacy and the perceived efficacy of computer-assisted
language learning (CALL) in different periods, either offline or online, has
represented the core of numerous studies. The research conducted has
emphasized both the strengths and the weaknesses of integrating ICTs
(information and communication technology) in language learning, e.g., [3–6].
Offering an overview of the studies conducted between 1981 and 2005 on the use
of CALL in language learning at all education levels, a past study highlighted
positive effects as regards the writing quality (fluency, spelling, register use,
awareness of audience), reading, and listening skills, as well as in connection with
the students’ involvement in the non-native language class and with their attitude
towards ICT use, provided the technical stability and support are ensured [5]
The benefits of implementing online learning regard both distance education and
face-to-face language learning in which ICT-based synchronous or asynchronous
activities are introduced. In distance education for second languages, where
students’ communication with the teacher and among peers had been hindered
for many years, the pioneering use of synchronous teaching methods immediately
after the year 2000 offered a change in the paradigm for second language
learning. Distance learning students were offered the opportunity to practice and
develop their speaking skills during the class, to communicate in writing, to
benefit from immediate feedback from the teacher, and to have enjoyable classes
[4,6].
Some research focusing on full-time face-to-face education has pointed out that
the online approach makes language teaching and learning more flexible and
individualized, based on authentic materials, and that it may trigger an increase in
attendance and engagement [2,5]. The benefits of online language education are
obvious, but some studies show that its positive effects may be limited by
technical and personal problems, such as students’ and teachers’ low self-efficacy
for online learning or computer use [7], and by students’ low active participation
or dominant interventions [4]
Other studies have emphasized that online teaching is based on knowledge
transmission and that teachers more or less consciously try to replicate the old
teaching and learning, e.g., [8]. In the current extreme conditions triggered by the
COVID-19 pandemic, researchers highlight that the use of this approach in FL
teaching may facilitate compliance with the planned curriculum and the
overcoming of the students’ mixed feelings towards the new learning
environment or the difficulties encountered, e.g., [1]. Nevertheless, the best
method to learn second languages have yet to be identified, just like the congruity
or incongruity in this respect between foreign languages and other school
subjects. For instance, the video conference was appreciated by FL students and
fostered their language skills [9], but students in other subjects only partially
admitted its benefits and also described it as uncomfortable and causing self-
consciousness [10].
Emotional Perspective in Second Language Learning
Although the cognitive perspective dominated research in applied linguistics in
the 20th century [11], emotions, negative and positive, have permanently
accompanied learning [12]. The control-value theory explains students’ negative
emotions by the valence associated with the task challenge: when the required
skills are higher than the students’ skills and students perceive the task as useful,
they feel fear or anxiety [13,14]. In the case of face-to-face language learning at
university, a study has indicated that higher anxiety is experienced by high-
achieving students [15]. Negative emotions have been associated with reduced
effort, lower performance, increased external regulation, and decreased self-
regulated learning strategies [16,17]. In contrast, for online learning, frustration, a
negative activating emotion, is a positive predictor of adaptive strategies [18].
Positive emotions, such as enjoyment, hope, and pride, have been positively
associated with effort, self-regulation, and more sophisticated strategies. These
relationships are not universal, as achievement emotions are malleable and
reflect the students’ academic adjustment to their environment [19,20].
According to positive psychology, pleasant and unpleasant emotions influence the
FL learners’ experience [21]. The functions of positive emotions (and especially of
enjoyment) in FL learning have been emphasized. Thus, being in a positive
emotional state allows students to absorb the second language better and to
erase the effects of negative emotions [11]. Several studies have shown that
foreign language enjoyment (FLE) is higher in the case of high-achieving students
[22] and female students [23].
Some findings have revealed a greater emotional reactivity and more frequent
negative emotions with women compared to men, in normal times [24,25]. These
results are in line with recent research undertaken during the current pandemic,
in which Chinese women report higher psychological distress than men [26].
Nevertheless, the results of the research are not consistent: in 2014, during the
Ebola crisis, gender was not a predictor of psychological distress and functional
impairment in an American sample [27].
Self-Perceived Task Value and Self-Perceived FL Proficiency
Defined as intrinsic value and usefulness of a task, task value is connected to
closer or more remote aims, beyond one’s immediate pleasure [28,29]. The self-
perceived task value is associated with positive academic emotions [17,18,30],
being involved in identifying the motivation for learning. A direct relationship
between one’s subjective task value and one’s self-perceived FL proficiency was
found with undergraduates [17].
A study involving Chinese university students has shown a significant positive
connection between self-perceived task value and self-perceived FL proficiency,
but a significant inverse relation between foreign language anxiety (FLCA) and
self-perceived FL proficiency [20]. In the cited study, the self-perceived FL
proficiency was predicted more by FLE in the low proficiency group, and more by
FLCA in the medium and high proficiency groups.
What are students’ behaviors, emotions, and perceptions as regards learning a
second language online during the pandemic and their relationships with some
antecedents, such as second language efficiency, self-perceived task value, and
self-perceived language proficiency?
Can the behaviors and emotions involved in FL learning be explained by the
variables under consideration?
Theoretical Framework
The first hypothesis is anchored on Stephen D. Krashen and Tracy D. Terrell’s
(1996) the Natural Approach. It centers on the distinction between acquisition
and learning. It states that adults who are learning a second language employ two
different means of developing language skills and knowledge. To acquire a
language means to 'pick it up' allowing him to develop the ability to use it
naturally and communicatively. To learn a language, on the other hand, means to
be more aware of the grammar rules that govern a certain linguistic structure via
language teaching or guidance from a language teacher. In short, exposing a
language learner to the target language (TL) is not enough. One has to study
formally the language, its rules, and conventions to fit himself in.
The Affective Filter is another hypothesis this study corroborates. This hypothesis
focuses on the language learner's emotional state while actively learning. The
Affective Filter is "an adjustable filter that freely impedes, passes, or blocks input
needed for acquisition" (Krashen, 1988, p. 133). Built around SLA research, it
identifies three forms of affective variables: motivation, self confidence, and
anxiety. This hypothesis states that language learners who have low affective
filter are deemed more "open" to the input that "sinks" more deeply as opposed
to language learners whose affective filter is high and are, therefore, less willing
to absorb the lessons taught them (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). In return, learners
who have lower affective filter are more capable of knowing more about the
language rules and conventions and using/ producing the language more
satisfactorily.

Learning page, Utilizing the

online course, Internet and self Different results
face to face call perceived

A model for second language online learning during COVID 19

 (adapted from Analiza Liezl Perez- Amurao, PhD Multicultural Studies, Mahidol
University, 2012)

While Stephen Krashen’s theories are considered a landmark on which this study
is hinged, said principles left some gap. This study explores and offers the
possibility to either narrow or close that gap. In so doing, it also anchors its
framework on the importance of output and interaction theories. The gap
resulted from Krashen’s theories arguing that it is only input that matters in
second language learning (Krashen, 1981). Output and interaction theorists are
keen to note that a successful learning happens not only because of a learner’s
exposure to comprehensible input, but also because of his output brought about
by interactions with other speakers. With Krashen’s only input-matters tenet,
output theorists believe “that the act of producing language (speaking or writing)
constitutes, under certain circumstances, part of the process of second language
learning” (Swain in Hinkel, 2005, p. 471). Interactionists, on the other hand, argue
that learners are given the chance at seeing, exploring, and using whatever
differences there are between their own production of the language and that of
others (Gass & Mackey, 2006). In effect, the interactionists claim that being able
to identify one’s differences from others’ allows him to learn how to modify
relevant language performance when needed.
References:
1. Egbert, J. The new normal?: A pandemic of task engagement in language
learning. Foreign Lang. Ann. 2020, 53, 314–319. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
2. Gacs, A.; Goertler, S.; Spasova, S. Planned online language education versus
crisis-prompted online language teaching: Lessons for the future. Foreign
Lang. Ann. 2020, 53, 380–392. [CrossRef]

3. Lin, C.-H.; Warschauer, M. Online Foreign Language Education: What Are

the Proficiency Outcomes? Mod. Lang. J. 2015, 99, 394–397. [CrossRef]
4. Hampel, R. Theoretical perspectives and new practices in audio-graphic
conferencing for language learning. ReCALL 2003, 15, 21–36. [CrossRef]
5. Felix, U. The unreasonable effectiveness of CALL: What have we learned in
two decades of research? ReCALL 2008, 20, 141–161. [CrossRef]
6. White, C.J. Distance Language Teaching with Technology. In The Handbook
of Technology and Second Language Teaching and Learning; Wiley:
Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2017; pp. 134–148
7. Artino, A.R. Online or face-to-face learning? Exploring the personal factors
that predict students’ choice of instructional format. Internet High. Educ.
2010, 13, 272–276. [CrossRef]
8. VanOostveen, R.; Desjardins, F.; Bullock, S. Professional development
learning environments (PDLEs) embedded in a collaborative online learning
environment (COLE): Moving towards a new conception of online
professional learning. Educ. Inf. Technol. 2018, 24, 1863–1900. [CrossRef]
9. Conboy, A.F.; Ugalde, E.G.; Reuber, A. Three Experiences in Video-
Conferencing with Native Speakers of Spanish and French. In Proceedings
of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Language, New
York, NY, USA, 9–11 February 2017; pp. 11–43.
10. Eales, R.T.J.; Neale, D.C.; Carroll, J.M. Desktop Videoconferencing as a Basis
for Computer Supported Collaborative. EdMedia + Innov. Learn. 1999,
1999, 628–633.
11.Dewaele, J.-M.; Chen, X.; Padilla, A.M.; Lake, J. The Flowering of Positive
Psychology in Foreign Language Teaching and Acquisition Research. Front.
Psychol. 2019, 10. [CrossRef]
12.Meinhardt, J.; Pekrun, R. Attentional resource allocation to emotional
events: An ERP study. Cogn. Emot. 2003, 17, 477–500. [CrossRef]
13.Wigfield, A.; Eccles, J.S. Expectancy-Value Theory of Achievement
Motivation. Contemp. Educ. Psychol. 2000, 25, 68–81. [CrossRef]
14.Pekrun, R. The Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions:
Assumptions, Corollaries, and Implications for Educational Research and
Practice. Educ. Psychol. Rev. 2006, 18, 315–341. [CrossRef]
15.Cocorada, E.; Maican, A. A Study of Foreign Language Anxiety with
Romanian Students. Bull. Transilv. Univ. Bra¸sov 2013, 6, 9–18.
16.Daniels, L.M.; Stupnisky, R.H. Not that different in theory: Discussing the
control-value theory of emotions in online learning environments. Internet
High. Educ. 2012, 15, 222–226. [CrossRef]
17.Pekrun, R.; Elliot, A.J.; Maier, M.A. Achievement goals and achievement
emotions: Testing a model of their joint relations with academic
performance. J. Educ. Psychol. 2009, 101, 115–135. [CrossRef]
18.Artino, A.R. Emotions in online learning environments: Introduction to the
special issue. Internet High. Educ. 2012, 15, 137–140. [CrossRef]
19.Linnenbrink-Garcia, L.; Pekrun, R. Students’ emotions and academic
engagement: Introduction to the special issue. Contemp. Educ. Psychol.
2011, 36, 1–3. [CrossRef]
20.Gregersen, T. Dynamic properties of language anxiety. Stud. Second Lang.
Learn. Teach. 2020, 10, 67–87. [CrossRef]
21.Dewaele, J.-M.; Witney, J.; Saito, K.; Dewaele, L. Foreign language
enjoyment and anxiety: The effect of teacher and learner variables. Lang.
Teach. Res. 2017, 22, 676–697. [CrossRef]
22.Li, C.; Dewaele, J.-M.; Jiang, G. The complex relationship between
classroom emotions and EFL achievement in China. Appl. Linguist. Rev.
2019, 11, 485–510. [CrossRef]
23.Dewaele, J.-M.; MacIntyre, P.D. The Two Faces of Janus? Anxiety and
Enjoyment in the Foreign Language Classroom. Stud. Second Lang. Learn.
Teach. 2014, 4, 237–274. [CrossRef]
24.Fischer, A.H.; Rodriguez Mosquera, P.M.; van Vianen, A.E.M.; Manstead,
A.S.R. Gender and Culture Differences in Emotion. Emotion 2004, 4, 87–94.
[CrossRef]
25.Gomez, P.; von Gunten, A.; Danuser, B. Content-specific gender differences
in emotion ratings from early to late adulthood. Scand. J. Psychol. 2013, 54,
451–458. [CrossRef]
26.Qiu, J.; Shen, B.; Zhao, M.; Wang, Z.; Xie, B.; Xu, Y. A nationwide survey of
psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic:
Implications and policy recommendations. Gen. Psychiatry 2020, 33,
e100213. [CrossRef]
27.Thompson, R.R.; Garfin, D.R.; Holman, E.A.; Silver, R.C. Distress, Worry, and
Functioning Following a Global Health Crisis: A National Study of Americans’
Responses to Ebola. Clin. Psychol. Sci. 2017, 5, 513–521. [CrossRef]
28.Eccles, J. Subjective Task Value and the Eccles et al. Model of Achievement-
Related Choices. In Handbook of Competence and Motivation; Guilford
Publications: New York, NY, USA, 2005; pp. 105–121.
29.Dubeau, A.; Frenay, M.; Samson, G. L’utilité perçue de la tâche:
Présentation du concept et état de la recherche. Can. J. Educ. 2015, 3, 1–
23.
30.Pekrun, R.; Goetz, T.; Titz, W.; Perry, R.P. Academic Emotions in Students’
Self-Regulated Learning and Achievement: A Program of Qualitative and
Quantitative Research. Educ. Psychol. 2002, 37, 91–105. [CrossRef]