From Impossible to Possible: A Research Review on the Effectiveness of Learning English online During the Pandemic at Tertiary Level in Sri Lanka

The unexpected shift to online teaching from face-to-face was a noteworthy phenomenon to all students and teachers in Sri Lanka which affected English Language Teaching (ELT). However, e-learning commenced in Sri Lanka at the Open University of Sri Lanka, way before the COVI-19 pandemic emerged, where the first-year core course in English language regardless of the discipline has been a face-to-face delivery. The traditional face-to-face mode of lecture delivery unexpectedly shifted to online since 2020 due to COVID19 which resulted in the temporary closure of the physical delivery of all university courses including English. Now it has been more than two years and it is essential to examine the studies conducted locally on online ELT at tertiary level. Eventually the present study has discovered twenty-four studies which were conducted in the said research context analyzing how these studies examined online ELT strategies, their effectiveness, how was it proven and whether any further steps are required to make it effective. Consequently, in most of the local research conducted, undergraduates possess a negative attitude to online learning due to technical flaws and inconveniences experienced when learning from home. In addition, all these studies recommend that leaners and academics be given more practice in online teaching and learning. These findings and conclusions can be utilized to decide on the adequacy of research conducted on online ELT in the local tertiary level context and whether any such scholarly research recommends that online ELT requires revision. Eventually, these conclusions can initiate the designing of a model for online ELT for local undergraduates. Following the findings, the study concludes that online ELT at local universities relies on the teaching practices, prevalence of effectiveness and strategies followed, concern paid and followed to fulfill further requirements for the development in effectiveness. Consequently, it is expected to inspire the implementation of effective strategies for online ELT for undergraduates. However, since most of these conclusions have been arrived at based on studies focusing on undergraduates’ perspectives, it is essential to cross-examine the information obtained from both learners and lecturers via a mixed method approach, so that future transitions to the online approach can incorporate the best practices followed by both lecturers and students.