Online learning readiness and challenges of EFL learners amidst the pandemic: a case of an undergraduate critical reading course

This research aims to explore the readiness of Thai EFL learners for their online learning experience in a critical reading course. A group of 71 students registered for a critical reading course at a public university were asked to complete online questionnaires. The results showed that the participants had a high level of readiness for online learning. They shared that the poor performance of their personal laptops and unreliable internet connections on their devices was the major challenge for their learning. Thus, it is suggested that some devices and effective internet connectivity should be provided to support the students’ readiness in online learning.