Technology-Mediated Crisis Response in Language Studies

The COVID-19 crisis was unplanned, unprecedented, and highly unpredictable, leading educators to rethink their pedagogies, policies, practices, technologies, strategies and more. In the months and years following, educational institutions were forced to adjust to new ways of doing their work, refinements with long-term implications for language learning and teaching. Much of the early research in language education which came about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic focused on its negative effects, such as the lack of infrastructure and preparedness (Tao & Gao, 2022), (in)equitable access for educators and learners (Back, Zavala, & Franco, 2022), perceived lowered outcomes (Moser, Wei & Brenner, 2021), and emotional burdens (MacIntyre, Gregersen, & Mercer, 2020). In this volume, we capture some of the lessons learned during and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to move forward as a field with intention and purpose, and to take advantage of any crisis-prompted innovation. The volume aims to provide implications for other current and future challenges and crises that require our attention in language teaching and technology. Contributions will bring additional depth to the pandemic discussion in each of the four parts: (1) Emergency Response, (2) Problem Solving, (3) Outcomes, and (4) By-Products.