The second language learner in a pandemic context: The teachers’ challenges

English language training for Chinese children has been afforded for some time by so-called offshore schools. At the onset of the 2020 pandemic, the Chinese New Year celebrations had many foreign language teachers leaving China for holidays. Unable to return to their public school teaching posts for in-person instruction, these teachers were forced to undertake emergency remote teaching. The following mixed-method study of 25 teachers examined the factors that came to bear as they attempted to modify their pedagogy to assist their students with content learning in their second language, English. The study used a survey and standardized open-ended interviews in the collection of data. The results from the teachers revealed challenges in the categories of lifestyle, pedagogy, use of technology, and system support.