ERIC Number: EJ1469781
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Feb
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-1688
EISSN: EISSN-1477-0954
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Boredom in Online English Language Classes: Mediating Variables and Coping Strategies
Miroslaw Pawlak1; Ali Derakhshan2; Mostafa Mehdizadeh2; Mariusz Kruk3
Language Teaching Research, v29 n2 p509-534 2025
Although boredom has been the subject of increasing scrutiny in second language (L2) learning recently, very little is known about how this emotion can affect teachers and students involved in COVID-19 prompted online English education. To address this gap, through maximum variation sampling, this qualitative study surveyed the opinions of 34 teachers and 256 students from universities across Iran to find out which class mode (online versus physical classes) and course type (content-based versus skills-based courses) were more boring, and what -- if any -- coping strategies these individuals used to get over boredom. The majority of teachers and students deemed online classes more boring than traditional, in-person classes. While teachers regarded skills-based and content-based courses as equally boring, most students believed that content-based online courses were more boredom-inducing due to their lecture-type nature. Moreover, whereas the teachers had a variety of useful coping strategies in their toolbox, an alarming number of students reported either not knowing how to deal with boredom or resorting to debilitative strategies, such as playing games or leaving class altogether when boredom reached an unbearable level. The findings are discussed in light of existing evidence from boredom and personality research, and practical suggestions are made.
Descriptors: Psychological Patterns, Negative Attitudes, Electronic Learning, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Student Attitudes, Foreign Countries, College Students, College Faculty, Teacher Attitudes, Coping
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iran
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland; State University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland; 2Golestan University, Iran; 3University of Zielona Góra, Poland