Research Article

Saudi EFL Students’ Perceptions of Online English Achievement Exams in the Era of COVID-19

Authors

  • Ajwaad Aljohani MA Student, TESOL, English Language Institute, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Mashael Aloreafy Teaching Assistant, ELI, University of Jeddah & MA in TESOL student, English Language Institute, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Sarah Alzaidi MA Student, TESOL, English Language Institute, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Zilal Meccawy Zilal Meccawy, Assistant Professor, English Language Institute, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, assessment and testing processes have been shifted to an online environment. Therefore, this unexpected shift requires more recent research in the field of online assessment. Based on this requirement, the present research aimed to explore female EFL students’ perceptions of an online English achievement exam by focusing on these dimensions: availability and accessibility, instructions, and mode of delivery. The participants were preparatory year students at the English Language Institute (ELI) at the University of Jeddah. To serve the research aim, the research used a mixed-methods approach. Students (n =49) participated in the quantitative phase by answering an online survey and 2 students were interviewed in the qualitative phase. The quantitative data revealed that the students had a positive perception of the online exam availability, accessibility, instruction, and mode of delivery. More particularly, the qualitative data explained that the clear online exam instructions and suitable mode of delivery have significantly improved these positive perceptions.

Article information

Journal

International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation

Volume (Issue)

4 (5)

Pages

118-125

Published

2021-05-30

How to Cite

Aljohani, A., Aloreafy, M., Alzaidi, S. ., & Meccawy, Z. (2021). Saudi EFL Students’ Perceptions of Online English Achievement Exams in the Era of COVID-19. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 4(5), 118–125. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.5.11

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Keywords:

Availability and accessibility; EFL; exam instruction; mode of delivery; online achievement exam; Saudi Arabia; students’ perceptions