ELT Connections- Volume 2, Issue 2

La promoción del idioma francés, una de las misiones de la Representación Valonia-Bruselas en Chile Rethinking classroom setups for a brighter future Perceptions regarding mental health of high school students about online platforms in their English classes during the pandemic

ELT

CONNECTIONS NOVEMBER 2023

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 ISSN 2735-7147

In this issue:

INDEX

Letter to the Editor (Carmen Gloria Kanelos)

6-7

Letter to the Editor (Claudio Cueto)

8-9

An interview with… (Germán Mardones)

10-11

International Corner: La promoción del idioma francés, una de las misiones de la Representación Valonia-Bruselas en Chile (Equipe de la Représentation Wallonie-Bruxelles)

12-13

Inside the classroom (Patricio Yévenes)

14-15

Research article: Perceptions regarding mental health of high school students about online platforms in their English classes during the pandemic (Macarena Cerda, Constanza Quijada, Érika Cáceres, and Francisca Sánchez)

16-25

EDITORIAL BOARD Director: Dr Alain Carrier, Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins.

Editor in Chief: Prof. Claudia Rodríguez

Managing Editor: Prof. Lorena Maluenda

PhD. Academic, Foreign Languages Department, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins.

Prof. Lorena Maluenda, Head of the Foreign Languages Department, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins.

Claudia holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics in EFL from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics from The University of Warwick, UK. Her research interests include EFL teacher training, critical thinking skills development, teacher identity construction, and the teaching of English pronunciation.

Lorena has been a teacher of English since 2000. She holds a Diploma in English for Specific Purposes and a Master’s degree in Linguistics from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She is a Speaking Examiner for Cambridge English Assessment, and her interests are related to language learning through technology, teaching English as a foreign language, and international certifications in English.

Collaborators:

Articles and authors in this issue:

Prof. Pía Tabali, PhD. Academic, Teacher Training Programme, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins.

Prof. Ulises Sánchez, Head of the Teacher Training Programme, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins.

Francisca Morales, President TESOL Chile.

RICELT Chile (Red de Investigación Chilena en ELT).

Letter to the Editor: Carmen Gloria Kanelos.

Letter to the Editor: Claudio Cueto.

An interview with: Germán Mardones.

International Corner: La promoción del idioma francés, una de las misiones de la Representación Valonia-Bruselas en Chile - Equipe de la Représentation Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Inside the classroom: Rethinking classroom setups for a brighter future – Patricio Yévenes Research article: Perceptions regarding mental health of high school students about online platforms in their English classes during the pandemic – Macarena Cerda, Constanza Quijada, Érika Cáceres, Francisca Sánchez.

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

Is research an exclusive task for academics and educators?

Carmen Gloria Kanelos Saldías

Under the increasing demand and need of conducting research to gain understanding of theoretical issues, and addressing specific problems/ solutions, among other benefits, is where the essential question appears: who will read these outstanding and diligent evidencebased practices?

Researchers, educators, academics, and all those who are really interested in gaining a place in higher education or in the scientific world, as well as those who would really take advantage of knowledge to contribute and favour the comprehension of any topic that deserves being explored. All beyond the national demands too. But, what about higher education students?

Students who are in our institutions; students close to screens, social media, and artificial intelligence, who frequently feel distant from both scholarly investigations and their own strong, natural capacity to think, create, question, and propose ideas.

has been a teacher of English for over 30 years. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and management from Universidad de Talca, Chile. She is part of the academic staff at Universidad Católica del Maule’s teacher training programme, focusing on research in critical thinking development and academic writing.

Contact: ckanelos@ucm.cl

My question comes immediately: which is my role as a teacher to nurture my students’ skills to think critically?

How to enlighten our students’ minds?

Over the past few years, teachers have been facing continuing difficulties to keep students far from their screens, or at least making them understand that limited screen time is necessary while they are developing academic activities. How challenging is it to encourage students to read a book, to prompt them to reflect and

Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

dissertation; being this one a common approach to research. for them, which is their perspective about life, about their But, is the research world considering higher education future, how they conceive their lives as future professionals, students as part of an inclusive work and process? Or students and many other possible questions. And secondly, to align are just numbers at the time of being consulted? Is it possible research closely to our students’ interests. to contemplate proposing curriculum changes that This presents a significant challenge, and place a stronger emphasis on enhancing the from an investigative standpoint, it research skills of graduate students? Do we need would be intriguing to articulate to make deeper changes in our daily practice a straightforward goal: how can LEARNING as teachers? we foster curiosity among our We could discuss long about how to make higher education students, students feel curious and interested in encouraging their active conducting research, but clearly the participation in the field of first step is to know what is interesting research?

EXAMINE

Carmen Gloria

JJJ

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras

ASK

RESEARCH SDOM SCIENCE SOURCE TEACHING FACTS EXPERIMENTATION

analyse, or even to maintain their attention during lengthy lectures?

Another immediate question arises: How can we effectively bridge the gap between students and the research conducted by academics?

How can we motivate students to immerse themselves in the realm of research and turn their interests into a catalyst for generating knowledge? Naturally, the initial attempt to facilitate their learning from academic studies involves incorporating these papers into the mandatory or minimum bibliography for their courses. However, I continue to ponder to what extent this research genuinely connects with their daily experiences and sparks their interest. The task here could be to define possible ways to increase our students’ motivation to be curious about conducting research, beyond the mandatory final How to cite this article: Kanelos, Carmen Gloria. (2023) Letter to the Editor. ELT Connections, 2 (2) 6-7.

ELT CONNECTIONS

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Volume 2, issue 2

ELT CONNECTIONS Volume 2, issue 2

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Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media

Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Escuela de Idiomas

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

J J Claudio

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J J

J JJ Claudio

Cueto Martínez

obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Linguistics from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has gained professional experience working with diverse multinational publishing and education firms and is currently the Academic Coordinator at Instituto Chileno Británico de Cultura in the OTEC and training department. Contact: cpcueto@uc.cl

The Role of English and English Language Teachers in Global Business Communication In today’s interconnected world, the English language has emerged as an essential component in the realm of international business and workplace communication, catalyzed by globalization and the rapid advancement of digital technologies, which have ushered in an era of unparalleled international cooperation and communication. In this context, English —hailed as the lingua franca of the business world— has become the de facto medium for conducting cross-border transactions, negotiations, and collaborations.

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Being able to communicate effectively in English serves as a gateway, enabling businesses to access a broader global market.

It acts as a conduit, connecting organizations with a diverse range of customers, partners, and suppliers. Without question, English fluency significantly enhances a company’s ability to expand its horizons and seize international opportunities.

In multinational workplaces, effective communication is the bedrock of success. English proficiency facilitates seamless interactions among employees from diverse linguistic backgrounds, fostering a harmonious and productive work environment. This is particularly crucial, as miscommunication can lead to costly consequences, making English the common ground for clarity.

In the Chilean context, it is increasingly common to encounter job advertisements that seek candidates with at least an intermediate level of English communication skills. This proficiency often serves as a fundamental requirement in the hiring criteria of many international corporations, empowering job seekers to access a broader spectrum of career opportunities and enhancing their competitiveness in the job market.

Nevertheless, mastering English is not just about language; it is also about comprehending the cultural subtleties intertwined with it. In this respect, English Language Teaching (ELT) professionals emerge as instrumental facilitators, guiding learners not only through the intricacies of the language itself but also into the realm of cultural awareness. This awareness becomes indispensable for individuals seeking to establish effective cross-cultural relationships within the workplace. Language, in its essence, is inseparable from culture. Thus, expressions, idioms, and even the choice of words often carry cultural connotations and implications. Consider, for instance, how the same English word can be interpreted differently in various cultural contexts, leading to misunderstandings or misinterpretations in crosscultural interactions.

ELT professionals, equipped with their expertise, introduce

students to the cultural norms, values, customs, and etiquette associated with English-speaking regions. By doing so, they equip learners with the cultural literacy required to navigate complex professional scenarios and establish meaningful connections with colleagues and partners from diverse backgrounds.

In light of these profound considerations, ELT professionals have a key role in preparing language learners for success in the global workforce. As educators, we must continue to underscore the significance of English proficiency and prepare our students with not just language skills but also the self-assurance to navigate the intricacies of international business communication.

How to cite this article: Cueto, Claudio. (2023) Letter to the Editor. ELT Connections, 2 (2) 8-9.

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Volume 2, issue 2

ELT CONNECTIONS Volume 2, issue 2

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Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

1. How do you promote active student participation and engagement in your classroom?

2. Can you provide examples of student-centred activities or projects you’ve used successfully?

One example could be when I had to teach the use of “There is/are”.

In this case what I did was to print images of different habitats and some animals for each type of natural environment. In there, students had to give directions to their classmates and their school mates had to place the animals that were being mentioned in each environment. Another example was a role-play for giving directions on how to get to a certain point. After reviewing the contents and providing lots of examples, students were asked to create a short dialogue (30 secs or more) simulating a lost tourist and a local citizen.

For my next opportunity teaching directions, I have in mind to ask students to record a short video in which they move from one place to another. In the video, they will have to use present continuous and report the movements they are doing (For example: I am turning left and now am going along X street...)

ELT CONNECTIONS

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Volume 2, issue 2

Escuela de Idiomas

AN INTERVIEW WITH GERMÁN MARDONES

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

4. How do you handle classroom disruptions or maintain discipline while ensuring a positive learning environment?

Patience. I have a lot of it, and I try to maintain my composure as much as I can. This is because I like to project how I would have liked to be treated when I was in school. However, there is a limit. When that limit is reached and a student is misbehaving, I raise my tone of voice and change my body language. I try to work out the disruption by talking. Sometimes it works, but some others it just doesn’t. When it doesn’t work, I ask for help from colleagues or school authorities.

5. How do you cater to students with different levels of English proficiency in the same class?

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When it comes to engagement, I tend to search engagement in my lessons using meaningful example, images or games, whether as a lesson introduction or as a closure for reviewing the lesson content.

Regarding student participation, this year I have started to use a more communicative approach. In this case, role-play has been a must.

Students’ struggle increases since pronunciation is known for being a complex area in EFL contexts, but the outcomes are worth it. Even though they find speaking to be a difficult skill, they seem to be more willing and involved when it comes to communicating orally. So, using technology and communication activities such as role-play or asking them to record a video provide better results and engagement.

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media

Germán Rubén Mardones Germán is a teacher of EFL from Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins. He is especially interested in using technology for educational purposes and the teaching of phonetics, and is currently working at Instituto Profesional Chileno-Británico as well as elementary schools.

Email: germanmardones3@gmail.com

3. How do you assess language proficiency and offer constructive feedback for improvement?

Depending on the level I adjust my way of assessing. For example, in 7th grade I put emphasis on serious pronunciation problems and the incorrect use of grammatical tenses.

This is because I also let students speak as much as they can, even though they make some mistakes. If the mistake is not a relevant one, I let it slip because I don’t like to make them feel like every word they are saying is wrong or mispronounced.

In relation to lower levels, I am less strict because they don’t have enough experience. I don’t like to make students feel like they are not being understood in English. So, what I do is to provide general feedback on the most common errors that are repeated.

Regarding one-to-one feedback, I provide it when students have to do a written activity because I can speak personally to them and avoid the rest of the classmates from hearing.

I haven’t found an exciting idea for this yet. Nevertheless, when I find students that have an “advantage” in terms of English proficiency I give them activities such as transcribing the ten words they better remember using the IPA symbols provided in the Cambridge Dictionary. Since pronunciation could be a strong anxiety booster, I like to tackle that issue by engaging advanced students into the use of the Cambridge Dictionary to improve using those IPA symbols because I hope they can grasp enough of it to become interested and be autodidactic.

With learners that struggle more, I try to focus my attention on them and explain them as many times as they need and provide a variety of resources for them to practice at home.

For instance, I always recommend using lyrics training, play phrases or Youglish as methods for developing better listening.

6. How do you inspire and motivate students to learn English, especially when they face challenges or frustration?

I tell them not to let the past define them. Learning is not a mark or a moment but rather a whole process that never ends. Also, I let them know that failure is part of the process, and that true strength comes from not giving up until the very last moment. Lastly, I try to help them restate the purpose that led them to try and learn English by speaking with them because I know that nowadays life can be very overwhelming, and I can’t blame them. Life is tough for all of us. I always try to highlight the fact that English is a whole process rather than just a grade at a very specific point in life.

7. What strategies do you use to challenge and support advanced English learners in your class?

I often asked them to model an activity, to answer in full English sentences, and by always asking them first.

8. What online or offline resources do you recommend for EFL students to practice outside of the classroom? lyricstraining.com, playphrase.com, Quizzlet, ISLcollective, YouTube, reading their favourite book in English or a fable.

Instagram is also a good tool if you follow English content creators. Having a pocket notebook which can help them to

journal their lives using English or for practising vocabulary.

9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating technology into EFL lessons?

With adults there aren’t any problems since they know how to behave. But when it comes to kids it gets difficult.

If students get too attached to technology, they will refuse to work if they don’t get a game similar to Kahoot or Baamboozle among others. However, Youtube has many benefits. In there you can find brain break games, podcast, motivational and reflective speech, etc…Nevertheless, the use of it will heavily depend on the resources of the school and the teacher’s display with technology.

10. What are some common challenges or obstacles you face as an EFL teacher, and how do you overcome them?

The most common one is the lack of English input in students every day. I know there is the internet and all that for learning English, but it still requires a certain level of conscious intention to acquire the language, which can make it somewhat challenging. Another one is the lack of English speakers to communicate with. Besides and most importantly, I think, being obliged to learn something that you really don’t want to learn. I perceive that as a pivotal point for acquiring English. If you don’t truly like what you are learning, things will be perceived way more difficult than what they should be.

ELT CONNECTIONS Volume 2, issue 2

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Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

La Representación en Chile es la única de este tipo en América Latina. Las relaciones entre Valonia-Bruselas y Chile son muy fructuosas y de larga data. Tenemos un acuerdo de cooperación con la agencia chilena de cooperación internacional para el desarrollo (AGCID) con el cual se apoyan a muchos proyectos bilaterales en un sistema de comisión mixta. Este acuerdo cumplió 25 años en 2022.

La Representación Valonia-Bruselas en Chile realiza varias actividades tanto a nivel cultural, comercial, académico o de investigación científica. La promoción del idioma francés es tambien una de sus competencias. Para eso, el equipo organiza a lo largo del año distintas acciones en torno a este idioma. Quisimos compartir en este articulo algunos de los momentos francófonos de nuestro calendario de actividades.

Uno de los hitos más importantes en este ámbito son las celebraciones de la Francofonía durante el mes de marzo. El día 20 de marzo es el día internacional de la Francofonía. Por eso, todos los países y territorios miembros de la Organización Internacional de la Francofonía que tienen una representación diplomática o cultural en Chile organizan varias actividades en torno a este idioma y las distintas culturas francófonas. ¡Por supuesto, que nuestra Representación participa! Este año, se pudo disfrutar de un ciclo de cine francófono, de charlas académicas, de una feria de ELT CONNECTIONS

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Volume 2, issue 2

Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Escuela de Idiomas

INTERNATIONAL CORNER: LA PROMOCIÓN DEL IDIOMA FRANCÉS, UNA DE LAS MISIONES DE LA REPRESENTACIÓN VALONIA-BRUSELAS EN CHILE La Representación Valonia Bruselas en Chile es parte de la Embajada de Bélgica en Chile y es la representación diplomática de Valonia y la Federación Valonia-Bruselas, es decir de Bélgica francófona. El francés es uno de los tres idiomas oficiales de Bélgica, además del neerlandés y del alemán. Aproximadamente 4,5 millones de personas hablan francés en Federación Valonia-Bruselas.

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media

empresas, de un quiz sobre los países participantes dentro de una variedad de otros eventos como velada de poesía, jardín de la moda…

Este año, además, nuestra Representación quiso que las celebraciones se realizasen en varias regiones de Chile. En este efecto, se difundieron algunas películas en Concepcion y Valdivia y la exposición fotográfica “Nosotros” del fotógrafo belga Simon Vansteenwinckel fue exhibida al publico penquista.

El otro gran momento alrededor del idioma francés es el concurso de arte oratoria en frances que nuestra Representación coorganiza con el instituto francés de Chile y la Embajada de la Republica de Haiti.

Por segundo año consecutivo, la final de este concurso se realizó en el auditorio de la Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins. Los concursantes vienen de varias regiones de Chile y tienen varias nacionalidades, pero todos tienen en común el idioma frances.

Se realizan formaciones por expertos del arte oratoria proviniendo de distintos territorios francófonos. Lo importante de este concurso es poder practicar el francés y descubrir métodos para expresarse y expresar sus ideas en público.

Si hablas francés, ¡podrías ser el ganador de la próxima edición!

¿Qué mejor que un libro para hablar de lenguaje e idioma? ¡Conversar con el/la autor(a)!

Cada año, nuestro equipo organiza la venida a Chile de uno o varios autores belga de lengua francesa. Eso permite conversar en francés o en español sobre literatura y experiencias literarias con estudiantes o amantes de los libros. El año pasado los belgas Isabelle Wery y Thomas Gunzig pudieron encontrarse con estudiantes de periodismo de la UBO y conversar sobre sus trabajos de escritores. Este año, vino en noviembre la autora belga Katia Lanero Zamora, que nos contó de su trabajo de escritura de novelas, pero también de podcasts de ficción. Por supuesto, organizaremos una actividad con la comunidad UBO. Además de estos grandes hitos, el idioma francés está siempre en nuestros quehaceres diarios. Cuando participamos en un festival de cine, proyectamos una película francófona por ejemplo (con subtítulos en español por supuesto para que la podamos disfrutar todos y todas). También apoyamos a los profesores y estudiantes de francés para que puedan descubrir la cultura belga francófona.

Estamos muy agradecidos con la Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins por facilitarnos este espacio y nos alegra mucho la presencia del Centro de Empleabilidad francófono en la universidad, que sin ninguna duda ayudará a una difusión aun más importante del idioma frances.

Si quieres conocer más de nuestras actividades en torno al idioma francés o de la cultura belga francófona, nos puedes seguir en Instagram @dgvbchile o escribirnos un correo a santiago@delwalbru.be.

Equipo de representación Valonia-Bruselas.

La Représentation Wallonie-Bruxelles, de l’Ambassade de Belgique au Chili, est la représentation diplomatique de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, c’est-àdire de la Belgique francophone. Le français est l’une des trois langues officielles de Belgique avec le néerlandais et l’allemand. Environ 4.5 millions de personnes parlent français en Belgique.

La Représentation au Chili est la seule d’Amérique latine. Les relations entre WallonieBruxelles et le Chili sont riches et de longue date. La Wallonie et la Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles ont un accord de coopération avec le Chili à travers l’Agence de Coopération chilienne au Développement. Grâce à cet accord, de nombreux projets bilatéraux ont été soutenus depuis 1997.

La Représentation organise diverses activités dans les domaines culturel, commercial, académique ou encore de la recherche scientifique. La promotion de la langue française est aussi une de ses compétences.

A cet effet, l’équipe organise tout au long de l’année des actions autour du français. Nous souhaitions partager dans cet article quelques moments francophones de notre calendrier d’activités.

L’un des évènements les plus importants dans ce domaine est la célébration de la Francophonie au mois de mars. Le 20 mars est la journée internationale de la Francophonie.

Pour cette raison, tous les pays et territoires membres de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie qui ont une représentation diplomatique ou culturelle au Chili organisent diverses activités autour de cette langue et des différentes cultures qui l’utilisent. Bien sûr que notre Représentation y participe ! Parmi les activités, on peut citer cette année un cycle de films francophones, des conférences académiques, une foire, un quiz sur les pays participants et de nombreux autres événements tels qu’une soirée de poésie, un jardin de la mode...

De plus cette année, nous avons souhaité que les célébrations puissent également se dérouler en région. Pour cela, plusieurs des films composant le cycle de cinéma ont été diffusés à Valdivia et Concepcion. Dans cette dernière

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

LA PROMOTION DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE, UNE DES MISSIONS DE LA REPRÉSENTATION WALLONIE-BRUXELLES AU CHILI

ville, a également été présentée l’exposition “Nosotros” du photographe belge Simon Vansteenwinckel.

L’autre grand moment autour de la langue française est le concours d’éloquence en français. Notre représentation l’organise avec l’Institut français et l’Ambassade de la République d’Haiti. Pour la deuxième année consécutive, la finale de ce concours aura lieu dans l’auditoire de l’Université Bernardo O’Higgins. Les candidats viennent de plusieurs régions du Chili et sont de plusieurs nationalités mais tous ont en commun la langue française. Des formations sont organisées par des experts de l’art oratoire de plusieurs territoires et pays francophones. L’important de ce concours est de permettre aux participants de s’exprimer et d’exprimer leurs idées devant un public.

Tu parles français ? Pourquoi ne serais-tu pas le gagnant de la prochaine édition ?

Quoi de mieux qu’un livre pour parler de langue et d’expression ? Discuter avec l’auteur, pardi !

Chaque année, notre équipe organise la venue au Chili d’un ou plusieurs auteurs belges en langue française. A cette occasion, nous créons des rencontres pour discuter autour de la littérature et des expériences littéraires avec des étudiants et des amoureux de la lecture. L’année dernière, Isabelle Wery et Thomas Gunzig ont rencontré des étudiants en journalisme de la UBO pour échanger autour de leur travail d’écrivains. En novembre prochain, ce sera au tour de Katia Lanero Zamora de se rendre au Chili pour nous parler de son travail d’écriture aussi bien de romans que de podcasts de fiction. Une activité avec la communauté UBO sera bien sûr organisée !

Bien entendu, en plus de ces grands moments, la langue française est toujours présente dans notre travail quotidien. Par exemple, lorsque nous participons à un festival de cinéma, nous projetons des films francophones, (sous-titrés en espagnol bien sûr pour que tout le monde puisse en profiter). Nous soutenons également les enseignants et les étudiants de français afin qu’ils puissent découvrir la culture belge francophone.

Nous remercions l’Université Bernardo O’Higgins pour cet espace dans cette revue et nous sommes ravis de la présence du Centre d’employabilité francophone, qui sans aucun doute fera rayonner encore plus fort la langue française.

Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur nos activités autour de la langue française ou de la culture belge francophone, vous pouvez nous suivre sur Instagram @dgvbchile ou nous écrire un mail à santiago@delwalbru.be.

Equipe de la Représentation Wallonie-Bruxelles.

ELT CONNECTIONS Volume 2, issue 2

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Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Patricio

Patricio Yévenes Gutiérrez

is currently studying to become a teacher of English at Universidad Católica del Maule. He is also the Communications Secretary at the FEUCM (Federación de Estudiantes de la UCM). As an active member of the LGBTQIA+ community, he is also part of the Gender, Equality and Diversity Office at the same institution.

Contact: patricio.yevenes@alu.ucm.cl

Have you ever noticed how classroom setups in schools are displayed? If you go to a public institution, it is almost always the same, 30 to 45 students per class, desks and chairs aligned in columns one next to each other, a whiteboard in front of the class, the walls with no decoration or any piece of useful material, and so on; but what if we could change this scheme? And not only the way the objects are positioned, let’s go beyond. What if we could rearrange the whole composition of a classroom? What if we had dedicated classrooms for each subject and specially personalized for it? What if the students were the ones that move from one class to another and not the teachers? Would that be possible?

Would it be suitable? Would it be beneficial for all parties?

Classroom setups disposition has not changed since decades ago. A board in front of the class, desks and chairs aligned in columns, teacher’s desk in a corner next to the board, and the class is taught in that same position, the teacher in front of the students teaching the content and the learners passively acquiring it. The lessons are frequently teacher-centered, and this type of approach is not paying off. And not only that, how the material is available and presented to the students, the issue that they are always in the same place from eight a.m. to two p.m. and even four or five p.m. is exhausting and kills creativity, hence, negatively influences their learning process. This must change, so we must do something about it, but what can we do?

I propose to change the scenario of each classroom. During my practicum process I observed how in some classrooms important content was presented inside of it in the form of tips, formulas, sum ups, instructions, advice, and more, all of them in the same format. Having this in mind, it would be wonderful to reproduce this idea in all the other classrooms, and not just random paperboards from different subjects; we should be more ELT CONNECTIONS

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Volume 2, issue 2

Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Escuela de Idiomas

Inside the classroom: Rethinking classroom setups for a brighter future

JJJ

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media

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accurate. Each classroom could be specifically redesigned based on one subject. For example, if we are going to teach math, we could have lots of useful formulas so the students can use them and learn them faster and efficiently. But it would be difficult to reorganize the material each time the bell rings and another subject must be taught, right? Well, that is why we need to continue to the next level.

Every subject should have its own classroom. If we redesigned a whole place based on a theme, we cannot pretend to move it around and redecorate it every time because that would be exhausting and non-efficient at all. Therefore, if we dedicate a specific classroom only to teach a specific subject, this redecoration would be worth it and useful, mostly for students, but of course for teachers too. Based on my personal experience, one year in a public school that I was attending at that time, they

did this experiment. Every teacher had their own classroom, and they were able to customize it if they wanted to. The art classroom was full of paintings, the language class with useful tips on how to write an essay, the biology room surrounded by pictures of animals and descriptions of each, and so on and so forth. It was definitely a good idea, because we were immersed in the topic, almost like we had just been transported to another dimension were only that subject was being taught, but also, we were able to interact with the content in a more meaningful way, and of course the teachers made use of the material. Time was also a big advantage from this experiment.

Teachers saved a lot of useful minutes and effort by not having the necessity to move around from one classroom to another one. Since they were now the ones that were at the same place almost all day, it was not necessary for them to move around that much; on the contrary, they just had to look for the class book and maybe grab a snack or something like that. They had more time to take a rest or use it as they wished. Additionally, they were able to develop their class in a more entertaining and meaningful way, since they were able to interact with the content displayed around. In addition to that, lessons were not always teacher- centered. Since the teachers used the material, they had to move around, so even the way the students were seated was different, sometimes in circles during the whole class, some others in small groups, and rarely in columns one next to each other. This modification in the classroom arrangement was affecting the way teachers gave lessons and how students were learning. And if we take all this into consideration, we can even go beyond.

The number of students inside a classroom can be diminished and they can be levelled according to how much they know about a subject. In other words, we can go even further and split the students based on the level they had over a subject and derive them to a beginner, intermediate, or advanced class within a cycle. For example, if at the beginning of the year we gave a diagnostic test to students, based on their results we can assign them to a specific level of that subject, hence they will have to go to a specific classroom during the year, where they will have to face the content according to their level. Consequently, the number of students would be reduced, having more opportunities to develop a class in a more personalized way. Nevertheless, not everything will run smoothly.

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the government should not be the one to provide the resources only because we want to. Additionally, lots of items missed due to the movement of the students from one class to another, the time lost during breaks because of the shift around, and little bit of stress produced by the change of ‘was being the same for ages’, are some other disadvantages that need to be faced when taking this idea into consideration. Having said all this, we must be careful if we want to implement this type of scheme, because it is going to be hard, at least at the beginning, especially for learners that are used to the traditional classroom layout. However, we cannot intend that they cannot adapt to new and better ways to teach and learn, students are flexible, and they are prepared to face new methods, and mostly when higher education works kind of the same. In this sense, they would be prepared beforehand to go to college – if they can and want to go there of course. We can take the risk to change it all, or we can continue like today.

If something has been done the same way for decades, it does not mean that it is still good to keep doing it that way. Imagine how wonderful it would be to replicate this idea and implement it throughout the whole educational system. The benefits will outweigh the disadvantages, and the most benefited will be the most important ones, the students. I strongly believe that this type of classroom setup will be extremely beneficial for all the learners that are inside a school, since they are going to be engaged with the content specifically designed and displayed for them, to be used and play with it, to have fun while they learn, to acquire more tools that are going to be very useful for them, not only in the future, in the present too. They deserve the best quality in education that we can give to them, but we cannot settle for what it is today. We must look forward, take a chance to improve today’s educational system, and make the necessary arrangements to give our students the best innovation possible.

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Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras

Grammar & Vocabulary for Beginners

Modifying a whole system that has been consistent for decades is difficult. Money and time spent in implementing a system like this will be high, and we must face the reality that

How to cite this article: Yévenes, Patricio. (2023) Rethinking classroom setups for a brighter future. ELT Connections 2 (2) 14-15.

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Francisca

is an English teacher who has recently graduated from Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins. She is passionate about helping her students develop strong language skills and a love for knowledge.

has recently graduated from the teacher training programme at Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins. With her newly acquired knowledge and enthusiasm, Constanza is ready to inspire and educate the next generation of students.

is an EFL teacher who has recently graduated from Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins.

Her fresh perspective and dedication to language education reflect her readiness to make a positive impact on her students.

has recently graduated from the teacher training programme at Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins. With her newly acquired skills and passion for teaching, Francisca is excited to embark on a fulfilling career in education and make a difference in the lives of her students.

During 2020, due to COVID-19, schools in Chile closed their doors, putting an end to face-to-face classes and making way for online classes. In order to achieve this, schools implemented various platforms to carry out these classes. The present research seeks to know the perception of students regarding the mental health issues during the pandemic context. The methodology of the study is qualitative in which students from eleventh and twelfth grade participated in a focus group. As a result, the data obtained helped to explore the thoughts of students and how they felt during the process of online lessons in Chilean schools.

Keywords: Mental health, online platforms, students’ perceptions, high school

Over the past few years, technology has been incorporated into our daily lives since in 2019, a new virus appeared in China, which received the name COVID-19. This virus was catalogued as highly contagious and deadly. In 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global pandemic. According to the Ministry of Education (Mineduc, 2020), it was ordered to close schools as a sanitary measure to watch over the health of teachers, educational assistants, and students. However, learners received their lessons by connecting to remote emergency online learning. This virtual context for learning started on March 15th, 2020. Moreover, Mineduc (2020) released a programme called Orientaciones Mineduc Covid-19 to help both educators and pupils to have the best experience for online lessons. The Ministry of

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Erika

Abstract

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Constanza

Constanza Quijada

Perceptions regarding mental health of high school students about online platforms in their English classes during the pandemic

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Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Macarena

Macarena Cerda

1. Introduction

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Education plan contained online resources, which educators could use in their classes, digital texts, and advice on what pupils without the internet could do to follow the contents of the class.

2. Literature Review

2.1 Advantages and disadvantages of using online platforms

Nowadays, the use of technology as an educational tool is one of the most useful resources that teachers have studied to make classes more didactic for high schoolers. In agreement with Henderson (2020) and Keller (2018), they mentioned the benefits and shortfalls of online education. From one perspective, Henderson (2020) states that there are many benefits regarding the use of ICT in the classroom. For instance, technology helps learners to be more involved in the classroom. Technology engages students in the class thus it makes the learning process more fun by implementing games or using different electronic resources, such as videos.

Moreover, ICT fosters individual and collaborative learning.

First, each pupil has their learning rhythm and technology helps them to work at their own speed, adapting to their needs.

Second, students are able to develop their collaborative skills by working on forums with their classmates. From another perspective, Keller (2018) found different disadvantages in the use of technology in the classroom. For example, a participant from the investigation mentioned that screen time is an issue since there is a lack of personal communication and people need to develop that skill. Additionally, the author stated that teachers had a lack of support from schools for the use of technology in general.

Erika Cáceres 2.2 Mental health in the pandemic context

Needless to say, the pandemic has greatly affected many lives during the past years. This has been noticed in different aspects such as health, economic terms and mental sanity. Human beings live in a globalised world where everyone is connected. This means that nowadays socialisation is a fundamental factor in the wellbeing of individuals (Gupta & Sahoo, 2020). As Gupta & Sahoo (2020) explained, one of the factors for which the population suffered from mental instability was socio environmental. In other words, society was afraid of becoming infected. Different factors are work-related stress, psychological effects due to confinement/quarantine and interpersonal distancing.

This played an important role in mental illnesses. The feeling of loneliness affected adolescents, adults and the elderly. Individuals were accustomed to the pace of life where people could share with no time or space limits. However, the elderly and adults were not the only ones who were affected by the isolation: children and youngsters were likewise affected in a similar way. In agreement with De Figueiredo et al. (2021), infants and youngsters were greatly affected by the sudden closure of schools. In addition, the isolation with no social life and no outdoor activities were another added aspect from the ones previously mentioned.

2.3 Mental health of high school students during online lessons in the pandemic

On a global scale, there were youngsters who had experienced different situations regarding their mental health due to the pandemic and school closure (National Alliance on Mental Illness

Francisca Sánchez

[NAMI], n.d). Learners had to struggle with stress and anxiety mainly, and with other types of emotions. Regarding anxiety, it can be described through a study conducted by Pedrini et al (2022). The study mentioned different types of anxiety that students experienced. Some of the types are: generalsed anxiety, social anxiety, and school anxiety.

The results of the study, obtained through a questionnaire, showed that pupils felt school anxiety.

From all the types, the first one (generalised anxiety) was the one type that youngsters experienced the most. School anxiety could have been caused by the attendance, school performance, peer pressure, teacher interaction, and school-leisure issues.

A different manner in which pupils could feel anxiety was by spending more time with their families at home. According to Clemens et al. (2020), the stress level of the population increased due to the fact that people spent more time at home with their families, even sharing the whole day together. The change from going to school to staying home all day was hard for students.

Clemens et al. (2020) postulate that this anxiety could have happened since youngsters had new challenges, for example, they had to change their daily routine of going outside and sharing with their friends to be locked down all day with their families. Additionally, there is one investigation carried out by Gazmararian et al. (2021) whose results, obtained by a Qualtrics software, showed that high schoolers felt more anxious, stressed, alone and depressed. Finally, another study carried out by Cao et al. (2022) says that the mental health of students was related to the family context, their relationship and the lack of support.

Learners had to do all their homework at home, attend ERT, ELT CONNECTIONS Volume 2, issue 2

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3. Methodology

This study follows the qualitative tradition. As Agazu et al. (2022) explains, qualitative research is how people see their experiences, their worlds, and how they understand the topic. Qualitative research is an interpersonal process. This article seeks to collect information about the mental health of learners from eleventh and twelfth grade during their online classes. As the article investigates the perception of students as it is important to analyse their opinions collected through a focus group which contains open-ended and semi-structured questions. The data expected for the present research is non-measurable information, such as numbers or mathematical results.

3.1 Research design

The research design adopted corresponds to a phenomenological model. According to Aspers (2009), phenomenology is focused on empirical data. In other words, it is about human experience, and how people feel about a topic or specific event. Following the phenomenological model, this study aims to delve into the perceptions of students in online lessons related to their mental health.

When the data collection from the participants was over, the information gathered was analysed according to the research questions.

3.2 Research questions

1) According to high school students, what were the advantages and disadvantages of using online platforms during English lessons in the pandemic context?

2) What kind of mental health issues were perceived or experienced during online lessons in their English classes in the pandemic context?

3.3 Instruments

Focus groups were chosen as a data collection method. As the research is centred on the perceptions of students regarding their mental health regarding video conferencing software and CMSs, the focus group is the best option to obtain practical information.

Although the information from focus groups is gathered by, mostly, open-ended or semi-structured questionnaires, the focal point of the focus group is to make discussion possible among participants (Gaižauskaitė. I, 2012). The candidates for the research were high school students since it is of great importance to know their perceptions regarding their English online lesson in pandemic. In order to get the information needed, participants discussed the questions with their classmates, talking about different aspects which they agreed or disagreed with. Furthermore, as learners gave their opinions, the researchers obtained qualitative data to analyse to answer the research questions in the present investigation.

This section will focus on the main themes that emerged from the students regarding their mental health and how they struggled with Remote-emergency online teaching. The analysis of the results that were obtained in the focus group and the discussion of the conclusions regarding the perceptions of learners from eleventh and twelfth grades. The section follows the guideline of Cohen et al. (2018) that mentioned “Coding is the process of breaking down segments of text data into smaller units (bases on whatever criteria are relevant), and then examining, comparing, conceptualizing and categorizing the data “ (p. 668).

Different types of emotions regarding ERT were found and similar were obtained from the focus group. These feelings, in the section below, were classified based on the affections found by different authors. In the following section, stress, anxiety, depression, demotivation, and loneliness will be discussed.

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study, among other activities, at the same time they were sharing with their families, which affected the concentration of pupils.

Furthermore, according to the study, although youngsters were at home with their parents, some of the learners did not feel supported by their relatives in an academic or familiar context.

In the case of Latin America, the results showed that students experienced different problems during their online lessons. According to Eroza et al, (2021) students had to depend on their own resources to study at home. Regarding the aforementioned statement, lack of technological devices at home, such as computers, tablets or mobile phones was a problem. In addition to managing stress, depression and pressure, learners had to struggle with insufficient access to the Internet, which was essential to adequately take their classes online. This led to great demotivation on the part of the students. The effects of the pandemic on pupils were adverse, both in terms of mental issues and connectivity problems. All this guided to the same results, feelings of frustration, stress and increased anxiety, and fear on the part of learners worldwide.

4. Results and discussion

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4.1 Stress

According to the analysis, stress was the most common factor experienced by learners during their online classes. There were different aspects that affected pupils, making them feel stressed. Some of the issues that caused this feeling were the quarantine itself, that high schoolers had to perform satisfactorily in classes or that students did not have enough technological knowledge to finish a simple task. Most of the learners testified that being unfamiliar with the platforms and not understanding how to use them led to a feeling of stress and frustration. Another case is learner F, who stated that not having a good computer resulted in not having the motivation to connect to classes. In other words, his level of demotivation was gradually increasing as the participant did not have an appropriate device to study.

In the questions set participants were asked about the use of cameras in Zoom sessions. Student E stated: “I had a personal computer with no camera. So, I had to turn on an old laptop to be able to join the session with the camera on.”

A pupil mentioned that turning the camera on was a problem since the laptop was not working properly. The participant mentioned that the laptop was an old one. The problem with the camera led student E not to want to turn the camera on during online lessons.

Moreover, two of the pupils said that they felt stressed by the amount of homework that was given to high schoolers. Student L and K stated that: “For the multidisciplinary project, teachers asked us to record a video on Zoom in which we had to film ourselves and everything. It was stressful because there were all the subjects together.”

Notwithstanding, two of the seven learners who participated in the focus group were new to school, so older participants did not know the new classmates when the online classes started. The new pupil said that they had experienced a lot of anxiety, nervousness and stress with online classes since the learners were new students in the class. The participants found it difficult to socialise with their classmates, as everyone was familiar with each other from previous years. Student G pointed out: “It made me feel bad. Thus, I did not know anyone, and I was also a new student. I was really nervous and stressed. (…) I did not know anyone, and I did not know how to socialise with them either since my classmates had known each other for a long time and I felt bad about integrating myself into the class.”

The pupils felt that stress affected both the new and the older students. Additionally, the academic responsibility of twelfth graders was more difficult compared to the face-to-face modality, since having online classes made it more difficult to get good grades due to the fact that participants did not have the teacher physically near them. The learners said that the use of the platforms made the feelings of stress increase even more. This kind of emotion was manifested in many ways in participants. The previous data was registered by students who were at school before, meaning that pupils already knew each other face-to-face from earlier years.

4.2 Anxiety

In the focus group, a different important emotion was mentioned among participants apart from stress. This feeling was anxiety that arose from the online classes during the pandemic. During the focus group, some pupils stated that the feeling of anxiety appeared when they had to submit class assignments as they had a heavy academic load. Furthermore, family relationships and the use of technology were different factors which triggered anxiety in learners.

Student G talked about the anxiety felt from the tasks that were assigned in the platform: “Teachers sent an assignment through the platform, and they gave us two weeks to work on them. I worked on my tasks and completed all the activities on the platform. However, after that I completed all the activities, I realised that they were wrong, and it was because the teacher didn’t explain anything either.”

However, the academic load was not the only cause of anxiety in students.

A pupil claimed to experience anxiety about feeling lonelier in online classes. Moreover, the participant stated that, during quarantine, the family relationships started to break up. To explain this situation, learner H said: “I felt alone because when I went to school, I could see my friend and talk about different topics.

However, at home, seeing the same people every day and all day generated problems causing my family to tear up (...) my family was one of the main reasons for my anxiety.”

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Besides entering online classes, participants had to do different types of activities such as exercises based on the Link It! platform where they worked on different activities from the English subject. which is connected to understanding the use of the technological resources implemented in online lessons. As a result, some of the learners did not learn how to use the platform, and the low internet signal made it difficult for them to connect to their classes. The English classes were considered as workshops since they were held outside class hours. For this reason, pupils experienced certain feelings such as tiredness, lack of motivation, among other similar emotions. Regarding the English lessons outside class time, participant G stated: “Besides, the English class seems to have been out of the schedule (…) It was like an English workshop.”

The aforementioned workshop caused a lot of anxiety and tension in those high schoolers who had problems with the English course.

The students used a CMS from the English book called Link it! However, this CMS was not very practical since learners considered it very difficult, causing a lot of anxiety for them when they tried to use it. In addition, three of the six participants stated that when they had to connect to classes, the noise, the constant interruptions, and the family arguments caused them anxiety. Furthermore, learners did not want their classmates nor the teacher to hear the family problems or the background noises that their relatives were causing. Student G experienced a situation similar to the one previously described, saying: “In fact, my family and I fought a lot at home. That made me feel with a bad mood” Therefore, when students had to pay attention, the distraction caused by their families made concentration difficult for learners. As a result, participants stated that they were very worried about having these problems since they realised that their grades were dropping. A different consequence of anxiety was overeating. During the focus group some learners mentioned that they started to eat more than usual and in certain cases, students started to gain weight. There is the case of learner H who shared his experience: “I ate a lot during confinement (...) in fact I put on a lot of weight.”

Due to the pandemic, going outside for a walk or gathering with friends was very restricted, therefore, physical activities were no longer available for pupils. Because of the restriction, high schoolers started to feel deprived of their freedom and they started to feel anxious. As a result, four out of six participants stated that the easiest way to calm that feeling was by eating a lot. In addition, students mentioned that the lack of physical activity and sitting down all day long was detrimental to their state of mind.

During the implementation of the focus group, participants mentioned that some of the feelings that they had most were sadness and distress. An aspect which caused these emotions was that learners knew they had to buy a computer in order to have online classes. However, the parents of only one pupil bought a laptop for online synchronous learning. The participants mentioned that they had a feeling of sadness regarding the money spent on buying an efficient device (for instance, a computer with a stable internet connection for the lessons). Participants mentioned that their families did not have enough money to be able to get one computer for online lessons. Furthermore, in 2021 the price of computers increased by 82% (Poblete, 2021). Moreover, student J explained that: “(...) I didn’t like the idea that my parents spent money… I understand that I need the computer for the future, but… I feel very depressed about that.”

Three out of six participants in focus group one stated that they had government computers when the online lesson started whereas none from focus group two was provided with a computer. These same learners from group one reported not having problems at all when connecting to the classes. However, participants had mentioned that learning how to use the device properly was a difficult task. Additionally, there were some pupils who did not use electronic devices very often. In a different situation, there was a student who had to share the laptop with siblings, hence the learner did not have enough time to finish homework and other tasks which were provided by the educator.

The issue of internet connection had an impact on learners. As participants did not have a stable connection, high schoolers were unable to join or connect again to their lessons. Student H experimented some internet connection problems, stating: “I got demotivated and sometimes frustrated because the connection here is not good and I had to watch the recordings of the lessons later and I didn’t like it because I didn’t have the opportunity to ask the teacher for help.”

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Regarding the use of technology, students struggled with the pressure of understanding to use the Zoom platform. Participants explained that they were not prepared to use the platform. However, learner H stated that a teacher helped them with the use of the video conference software: “Yes, teachers made a video about how to use Zoom, but it was private for teachers (...) A teacher spent a little bit of his class trying to give a brief explanation on how to use Zoom.”

4.3 Depression

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Participants stated that they worked on a specific CMS (content management system) which is based on Link it! textbook. After the lessons, learners had to do autonomous work on the platform. Nonetheless, as pupils worked on their autonomous work, they felt anguished. This feeling was mainly caused since students were able to complete their activities with their teacher, youngsters felt confident with themselves. Notwithstanding learners had to work without guidance, high schoolers realised that they could not complete the activities and felt that they were not learning. Nevertheless, high schoolers realised that the problem of working by themselves was on the instructions which, according to them, were not understood considering the problems related to connectivity and the uses of the video conferencing software and the CMS. Learners thought that they lacked information and content to be able to understand the activities and tasks themselves. Participants tried to complete some of the exercises, however, they were able to finish only a few of the activities since students could not ask their teacher for examples or guidance on how to complete the task properly. This lack of communication with the educator increased the difficulty of the activities. In addition, the English lessons were workshops which started after class time (classes finished at 5 pm and the English workshop started at 6 pm), so students felt tired, affecting their performance on the activities. As a result, participants felt very depressed when they got the results of the activities because of the feeling of not understanding anything.

4.4 Demotivation and disinterest

The following section focuses on the demotivation and disinterest of students about the online lessons and platforms used during the pandemic. Pupils mentioned different situations in which they felt demotivated and disinterested. Some examples of these situations are the lack of explanation and the speed in which contents were taught. There is one case of the absence of information regarding a platform. During the focus group, participants discussed the use of a digital resource and they agreed that its use was complicated since the teacher did not explain efficiently how it worked. Student E explained: “(…) I felt that the teacher was explaining how to use it, but he was explaining it for himself. It was just as if he was the only one who understood the explanation (...). If I had made an effort, if I had paid attention, I would have understood him, but I did not have motivation to work on the platform.”

After student E mentioned his demotivation, eleventh graders agreed on the statement, mentioning that the school did not provide any tutorial for the platform used. Furthermore, there was an online resource which had a tutorial explaining it and showed how to use it, however, it was not enough for participants in order to understand how to use the resource properly.

Regarding the methodology of online lessons, high schoolers felt that all the subjects were too rapidly taught. As student C mentioned, there was no organisation to teach subjects in general in all the online classes that participants had: “The classes were generally disorganised, so sometimes you didn’t even realise when the class was over. Even if you were paying attention, the class was very fast, like there was no time to clarify doubts or anything like that.”

In addition, during the English lessons, eleventh graders mentioned that the educator was monotonous, and he only taught using a PowerPoint. The teacher did not motivate students by teaching from a different perspective or by changing the teaching methodology and the interest of students in paying attention was decreasing due to the pandemic. UNESCO stated that teachers needed to implement new methodologies in classes using different tools and that they needed to enhance the motivation of learners. Regarding the motivation in the class, student F quoted that the fact of being online was totally different from being in the classroom: “The fact of being at home was different from being in the classroom looking at the teacher. Additionally, seeing the teacher through a screen was a problem because we couldn’t ask questions as we did in the classroom. We felt ashamed of asking questions and that demotivated me.”

Focus group one agreed on the concerns that student F gave since participants preferred face-to-face classes because of the demotivating methodologies used during online classes. Moreover, eleventh grade learners perceived that the use of online platforms without any preparation beforehand was demotivating for them. There were different experiences of the online lessons which did not call the attention of twelfth graders. Additionally, the mental health issues (such as, stress, anxiety and social problems, among others) of learners increased in every subject.

Notwithstanding, students felt demotivated during their online lessons, they mentioned in the focus group some platforms that would have motivated them. In the instrument there was a question that asked which resource would have been better, according to high schoolers, to implement during online lessons. Different resources were mentioned, starting with student E who mentioned: “Using Discord would have increased the motivation and the interest for the lessons.” Furthermore, student J said: “Google Meets have more filters which are funny (…) It would have helped with the stress due to the pandemic.”

Finally, student H added: “A game such as Kahoot. It is a good game.”

Students mentioned that if they had used these types of resources, they would have felt less stressed during online lessons. Moreover, ELT CONNECTIONS Volume 2, issue 2

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Discord is similar to Zoom since this platform is defined as an application with written, voice and video chat and Discord allows people to share their screen (Pearson, 2022). In contrast, Kahoot is a website which is used as a motivating game that allows people to learn by playing. Teachers can create their own Kahoot games and activities, or they can choose a game previously created by other people. However, people need internet connection and a mobile phone to play (Martín, 2019).

4.5 Loneliness

During the focus group, participants agreed that loneliness increased in the pandemic. Learners from eleventh and twelfth grade mentioned that what they missed most was their friends from school. Other activities that students declared missing were spending time together in class and in breaks or just the fact of being in the classroom. Student L mentioned that being in quarantine made him feel alone since his family was having issues during the pandemic. Furthermore, pupils could talk about their problems with their friends physically or hanging out after school. Student L stated that: “It happened to me that I felt lonely, because when you come to school you talk with your friends, and you talk about different topics and get distracted. But at home you see the same people and sometimes problems arise. Besides, before entering the pandemic, I went through a situation that caused the family to become more fractured. So being like that was worse.”

Student L understood that spending time with his family and not being able to stay or talk with friends or partners was difficult considering that the pupil could not express all the emotions that the learner felt on those days. It can be concluded that, as a result of the anxiety felt at that moment, a mental health issue appeared in the daily life of student L. The previously mentioned pupil and the other participants had to change their daily routine during the pandemic. Twelfth graders tried not to feel the loneliness by joining WhatsApp video calls while they were in classes online on Zoom. Student J recognises feeling lonely and misses talking to friends: “(...)because we all connect with each other as a group. (…), we talked all day long,(...), even during recess, so it’s like we didn’t lose communication among the closest ones, but it’s different to get together in person.”

Furthermore, student J mentioned that chatting through WhatsApp was useful to talk about different topics with classmates and friends, planning future gatherings when the quarantine was over. However, in the focus group there was a question which aimed to know the perspective of students whether they would like to attend online lessons again. Both groups agreed that they would not like to attend ERT again. Pupils mentioned that they would miss their friends, their classmates, and most importantly, the relationship between students and academic workers from school.

5. Conclusion

In 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic, schools in Chile adopted an online modality to conduct classes by implementing different platforms (MINEDUC, 2020). As a direct consequence of this educational shift, the present research has been conducted to delve into the perceptions and attitudes concerning the mental health implications of utilizing these online platforms for English lessons during the pandemic. This shift not only transformed the way students engaged with their educational content but also raised important questions about the psychological and emotional impact of these changes on both students and educators alike.

By exploring these perceptions, this study aims to shed light on the broader implications of the rapid adoption of online learning in response to the pandemic.

REFERENCES

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

Asper, P. (2009) Empirical Phenomenology: A Qualitative Research Approach (The Cologne Seminars). Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 9(2), 1-12. DOI: 10.1080/20797222.2009.11433992 Agazu, B. G., Dejenu, A. K., & Debela, K. L. (2022). A Comparative Review of Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. The Qualitative Report, 27(8), 1499-1508. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5748 Cao, C., Wang, L., Fang, R., Liu, P., Bi, Y., Luo, S., Grace, E., & Olff, M. (2022).

Anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms among high school students in China in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Journal of affective disorders, 296, 126–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.052 Clemens, V., Deschamps, P., Fegert, J. M., Anagnostopoulos, D., Bailey, S., Doyle, M., Eliez, S., Hansen, A. S., Hebebrand, J., Hillegers, M., Jacobs, B., Karwautz, A., Kiss, E., Kotsis, K., Kumperscak, H. G., Pejovic-Milovancevic, M., Christensen, A., Raynaud, J. P., Westerinen, H., & Visnapuu-Bernadt, P. (2020). Potential effects of “social” distancing measures and school lockdown on child and adolescent mental health. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 29(6), 739–742. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01549-w Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research Methods in Education (8th edition). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539 De Figueiredo, C., Sandre, P., Portugal, L., Mázala-De-Oliveira, T., Chagas, L., Raony, Í., Ferreira, E., Araujo, E., Santos, A., Oliveira-Silva Bomfim, P. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic impact on children and adolescents’ mental health: Biological, environmental, and social factors. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 106. 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110171.

Eroza, E., Guzmán, J., & Villaseñor, M. (2021) Efectos de la pandemia del Covid19 en el aprendizaje y situación emocional de estudiantes universitarios mexicanos. J. C Guzmán.

Gaižauskaitė, I. (2012) The use of the focus group method in social work research. A.Guogis. Kai kurie Švedijos socialdemokratijos ideologiniai aspektai socialiniu požiūriu. 11(1), p. 19–30.

Gazmararian, J., Weingart, R., Campbell, K., Cronin, T., & Ashta, J. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Students From 2 Semi-Rural High Schools in Georgia. The Journal of school health, 91(5), 356–369. https:// doi.org/10.1111/josh.13007 Gupta, S. & Sahoo, S. (2020) Pandemic and mental health of the front-line healthcare workers: a review and implications in the Indian context amidst COVID-19. General Psychiatry, 33. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2020-100284

How to cite this article: Cerda, M., Quijada, C., Cáceres, E., Sánchez, F.(2023) Perceptions regarding mental health of high school students about online platforms in their English classes during the pandemic. ELT Connections, 2 (2) 16-24.

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Henderson, D. (2020). Benefits of ICT in Education. International Digital Organization for Scientific Research, 5(1), 52-53. https://www.idosr.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/02/IDOSR-JAM-51-51-57-2020.-1.pdf

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Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media

Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Escuela de Idiomas

Keller, C. (2018) Advantages, Disadvantages, and Experiences of One-to-one Technology in the Classroom (Degree of Master of Education, Minot State University) Academia. https://www. academia.edu/38775702/Advantages_Disadvantages_and_Experiences_of_One_ to_one_ Technology_in_the_Classroom Martín, S. (2019). KAHOOT. ¿Evaluamos o jugamos?. Observatorio de tecnología educativa, 25, 3-11. Doi: 104438/2695-4176_OTEpdf25_2019_847-19-134-3

Pedagogía en Inglés para Enseñanza Básica y Media Escuela de Idiomas

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Ministerio de Educación (2020). Orientaciones Mineduc Covid-19, Gobierno de Chile. Pages 1- 4.

Ministerio de Educación (2020, May 18) Programa Inglés Abre Puertas presenta guías de inglés para estudiantes de 5° básico a IV° Medio. https://ingles.mineduc.cl/2020/05/18/programaingles-abre-puertas-presenta-guias-de-ingles para-estudiantes-de-5-basico-a-iv-medio-2/

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