English Language Teaching And Learning Experiences Beyond The Traditional Classroom

Abstract

Modular instruction in higher education has proven useful before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This was chosen as the most creative learning strategy, requiring all English language teaching professors to gradually shift from their traditional classrooms to the digital environment. As it was completely implemented in higher education institutions across the Philippines and around the world, it presented new opportunities and difficulties for both ELT professors and students. This study investigated ELT professors' and students' experiences with modular instruction in higher education. It utilized a qualitative method using the Husserlian descriptive phenomenology approach to describe the lived experiences of ELT professors and students in modular instruction in higher education institutions in Eastern Visayas. The data was collected through audio-recorded interviews in person and via Google Meetings. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis based on Colaizzi's (1978) technique, which aims to find the "essence" or "essential structure" of any event under consideration, including the features that set it apart from others. From the perspective of the ELT professors, the data revealed four themes: module development, challenges, classroom experiences, and institutional policies. The analysis of the students' narratives revealed four emergent themes: self-learning resources, obstacles, classroom experiences, and institutional assistance.