Empowering teacher autonomy through online teaching: the case of EFL teachers in the English department of Ali Lounci Blida 02 university

Abstract EN

The current paper investigates the role of online teaching in empowering EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers' autonomy in the English department of Ali Lounci Blida 02 university.

the paper seeks to explore the perceptions of EFL teachers about the impact of online teaching on their autonomy.

moreover, this research sheds light on the challenges that might be encountered during online teaching.

data was collected through an open-ended Likert scale questionnaire.

the findings revealed that online teaching is vital for enhancing teacher autonomy.

however, there have been several challenges that hindered EFL teachers' autonomy when teaching online.

some of the prevailing shortcomings are the deficiency in internet access, limited technological skills, and limited professional development opportunities.

hence, this study is a call for educational policymakers to support embracing online teaching by providing the necessary resources to enhance teacher autonomy in EFL departments of Algerian universities.