Challenges of online learning of English/French language in higher education in Ghana

Michael Owusu Tabiri, Ivy Jones-Mensah, Daniel Arkoh Fenyi, Stephen Asunka

Abstract


This study investigated the challenges that learners of English and French encountered during their participation in online language learning in a university in Ghana. The study adopted a quantitative survey approach by administering online questionnaire to undergraduate students at the university and analysing the data using descriptive statistics.150 students participated in the study. The results indicate that majority of the students generally feel that online language learning is bedeviled with a lot of challenges, notably technology availability, accessibility, and affordability, as well as the lack of capacity on the part of language instructors to effectively deliver in their online teaching activities. The study further discusses students’ opinions and experiences with the objective of determining the prospects of online language learning within the Ghanaian tertiary education context. Based on the findings, some pragmatic pedagogical measures like migrating teaching and learning activities from basic to tertiary levels to full online teaching and learning of all subjects and courses and creating a technological fund with the intention of mobilising funds to empower every home technologically, were proposed to stakeholders to enable them to minimise the challenges of online  learning in Ghana.

Keywords


online language learning; Ghanaian universities; student experiences; English language; French language

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