The Perceptions of Primary School Foreign Language Teachers on Remote Teaching Challenges and Limitations in the Context of Contemporary Foreign Language Teaching

Since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020, remote teaching and learning has become a significant issue in global education. Teachers in developing countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina (the entity The Republic of Srpska) faced a number of difficulties and barriers when all instruction was transferred to an online setting so various internal and external factors influenced how teachers responded to adjusting to a new teaching environment. The quality of their work and, consequently, the quality of the knowledge that pupils acquired were both impacted by these problems. Considering the fact that the nature of foreign language instruction presents unique challenge, particularly in verifying certain language elements and skills during online evaluations, this study aimed to investigate the obstacles faced by primary school foreign language teachers when implementing this mode of teaching. Having in mind the fact that the primary school teachers in the Republic of Srpska have limited three-month remote teaching experience (during the COVID-19 pandemic), this quantitative, non-experimental survey investigated their attitudes, expectations and challenges during the only time they implemented remote teaching institutionally. Data were collected through a structured survey questionnaire, distributed online via Google Forms, ensuring accessibility and broad participation. The questionnaire utilized a Likert scale to measure teachers’ levels of agreement or disagreement with various statements, ranging from "Strongly disagree" (1) to "Strongly agree" (5). Furthermore, the survey conducted sought to evaluate their attitudes and preparedness for conducting online classes in the future. In addition to the benefits of online instruction, the results of the study of foreign language teachers' professional, pedagogical, and general digital competencies for remote teaching indicate that there is apprehension about this form of instruction. It also found that the majority of teachers anticipate ongoing institutional support and collaboration with their colleagues. The conditions of the coronavirus pandemic caused extraordinary circumstances in education and clearly indicated the structural deficiencies and vulnerability of the existing education system in The Republic of Srpska, as well as the need for the development of digital and information literacy. These circumstances can be seen as an opportunity for greater digitalization of education, and offer the opportunity for this form of teaching to become an integral part of education. For future research, it would be useful to examine pupils' opinions and attitudes regarding the quality of remote teaching in the Republic of Srpska, as well as recommendations for improving this teaching model.