A Systematic Review of E-Learning in the Context of Iran: Where Does English Language Teaching Stand?

The first traces of e-learning in Iran dates to ۲۰۰۴, although this was not implemented until ۲۰۰۵. The present systematic review aimed at finding out where e-learning stands within the field of English language education also referred to as Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Data were collected through two main sources. The first source was MetSearch (Cardiff Metropolitan University’s e-library) which covers several reputable databases, yet we specifically looked into ProQuest Central, Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. The second source was Google Scholar which includes more publications but is less structured. Our search terms were e-learning OR elearning AND Iran OR problems OR challenges OR opportunities. We investigated a period of ۱۵ years (i.e., between ۲۰۰۸ and ۲۰۲۲). Only peer-reviewed original articles written in English and addressing the challenges, problems, or opportunities related to e-learning in Iran were included. Our final search led to ۱۲ original articles focusing on the aforementioned areas of e-learning. The findings revealed that the literature highly lacked studies related to e-learning in the area of TEFL in Iran. The included studies were mostly related to medicine and medical sciences, nursing, agriculture, technology, and sciences. With the increasing usage of e-learning among TEFL students and educators, especially after the strike of the COVID-۱۹ pandemic, researchers need to fill the huge gap that exists in the literature.

کلیدواژه ها:

E-Learning ، English language education ، Online education ، Systematic Review ، Teaching English as a Foreign Language