Using critical reflections in action research to enhance students' interactivity in online EFL learning contexts

Amidst the paradigm shift to the digitalization of teaching and learning post COVID-19, the conceptualized effectiveness of online interactions as facets of immediate and delayed learning among learners and teachers seems to provide solutions to the absence of face-to-face interaction. This action research study investigated the effects of critical reflection on the enhancement of interactivity among students in online courses after being engaged in different weekly reflective and critical asynchronous discussions on Blackboard. The study used a classroom cyclic action-research approach to enhance students' critical reflection over a period of three months. Participants were 49 male and female Bahraini undergraduates majoring in English Language and Literature. Findings revealed that engaging students in critical reflective discussions enhanced their interactivity in the discussion boards and lessened communication apprehension. Students' preferences for teaching and learning methods changed to supporting the use of online critical reflective discussions. The findings support the integration of critical reflective discussions in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning contexts and suggest useful implications for educators and decision-makers in Bahrain and in the wider region.