Impact of COVID-19 on Self-Directed Learning: Perspectives of Rural English First Additional Language Teachers

Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been changes in the ways teaching and learning occur in most classrooms, including English first additional language classrooms. Teachers spent less contact class time with their English FAL learners to comply with the COVID-19 safety protocols, such as social distancing. More than ever, learners in rural schools faced the responsibility of learning independently for extended periods. The focus in this article is on how the learners’ efforts to learn independently were disrupted and how teachers assisted these learners in overcoming these challenges amid the pandemic. The article explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural English FAL learners’ self-directed learning. The findings confirm the existence of COVID-19-induced challenges that impeded rural English FAL learners’ self-directed learning. These included a lack of motivation and a negative attitude towards self-directed learning, closure of learning facilities and a lack of learning material, overdependence on the teacher, poor physical learning environments and limited parental support. The study also reports on strategies that English FAL teachers used to enhance learners’ self-directed learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. These included strengthening home-school partnerships, providing emotional support, and simplifying learning activities. The article concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted self-directed learning in South Africa.