Navigating distance foreign language teacher education: academic, linguistic, and institutional challenges from students’ perspectives

Abstract

The present study analyzed students' perceptions of the challenges experienced in an undergraduate foreign language teacher education program delivered through distance learning at a Colombian higher education institution. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. In the quantitative phase, 50 students completed a 35-item questionnaire organized into seven dimensions, which obtained an overall internal consistency coefficient of α = .968. Semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted in Spanish with five participants who were purposively selected for this stage of the research. Quantitative data were analyzed through frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations, while the interviews were examined using color-coding and categorical grouping. The integration of these two sets of findings was then undertaken to identify convergence, divergence and complementarity. It was reported by students that they held favorable perceptions of technological access, teaching support, curriculum design and assessment practices. Nevertheless, speaking and listening were identified as the language skills most difficult to develop through distance learning. A few deficiencies were identified regarding the timeliness of technical assistance, access to institutional services, emotional support and the maintenance of motivation. The interviews revealed further findings, including challenges associated with academic workload, work and family responsibilities, Saturday schedules, transport and safety. The study concludes that the main challenges are not determined exclusively by technology but emerge from the interaction between students' language-learning needs, institutional support and individual circumstances.