The particular dialect or language that a person chooses to use on any occasion is called a code 927 Copyright © 2023 The Author IDEAS is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 License Issued by English study program of IAIN Palopo IDEAS Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) Volume 11, Number 1, June 2023 pp. 927 - 935 The students’ Readiness for E-Learning during Covid-19 in North Maluku Firmansyah1, Magvirah Octasary2, Irmawaty Hasyim3, Yety4 Firmansyah@unkhair.ac.id 1Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Khairun, Ternate, Maluku Utara 2 Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris , Universitas Khairun, Ternate, Maluku Utara 3 Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan 4 Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Khairun, Ternate, Maluku Utara Received: 2022-12-03 Accepted: 2023-04-03 DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v11i1.3551 Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the E-learning readiness of the students in Maluku Utara. The present study used descriptive quantitative in design, aimed to examine the level of E-learning readiness among the students. From three bachelor subgroups, participants were selected using stratified random sampling. Students who had attended virtual classrooms for at least one semester during the Covid-19 Pandemic met the selection criteria. The results showed that during Covid-19 pandemic 59% of the students had ready for E-learning 34,2% neutral and 6,8% were not ready. Most of the participants had provided in internet access, devices used were available and the method used during online class were easy to adapt. The results also evidenced that the students supported two factors "Technological adaptation" and "Internet usage", so improving the technological facilities in this regard can enhance the students' readiness for E-learning. Many students around the world have adapted to online education as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the majority of participants in this study were well-prepared for E-learning, as demonstrated by the study's findings. So, the university can implement virtual education. However, it is necessary to increase the students' motivation to learn by providing them with the required infrastructure and training courses to learn new skills and soft wares. Keywords: keywords 1; Covid-19 2; E-Learning 3; Readiness for E-Learning 4; Student’s Readiness. http://u.lipi.go.id/1457703302 Firmansyah1, Magvirah Octasary2, Irmawaty Hasyim3, Yety4 The students’ Readiness for E-Learning during Covid-19 in North Maluku 928 Introduction Covid-19 had change system in many sectors, not only the health system but also the other sector including education. It has had a significant impact on the global education, and public life, with the greatest impact on the teaching activities. Due to the covid-19, education system began to apply distance learning (Kamanetz 2020; Sun et al. 2020). The educational system at first applies face to face learning become online learning. Mostly, educational systems in the world were totally provided virtually (H. Al-Nofaie, 2020). It is important to note that education may soon come to a new era of long-term of online and offline teaching. The similar situation in Indonesia, after March 2020, the government accepted the pandemic declaration. All teachers began offering distance education by using a variety of digital platforms and the students had no longer study in the classroom (Li & Lalani, 2020). Teaching and learning methods run into fundamental shifts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, university students continued their education through online learning platforms. However, outcomes of online learning varied in every country. The infrastructures for online learning, such as internet accessibility and speed, as well as the availability of computers and electronics, had an impact on it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of methods, such as the online photovoice methodology a community-based qualitative research approach in which participants take photographs and compose voices-were utilized to evaluate the online learning platforms (Goodhart, F. W, et al, 2006). The implementation of E- learning refers to the technology used to support learning process. E-learning learning cannot be implemented without the media and technology (Firmansyah. F. et al, 2022). It is done through the use of electronic systems such as, computers, internet, electronic journals, multi-purpose CDs and newsletters (M.H. Dehghan Tarzjani & N. Alishiri, 2017). The teachers and students are required to use technology and internet as the media of learning. Jaime s. Tabatabai (2020) stated that online learning refers to a learning which teachers and learners are separated from each other in terms of either time or place. With this situation, the majority of school and universities will develop and update their distance learning and resource sharing systems in stages. Some of the benefits of e-learning are being at home, reducing costs, using electronic devices in different places and times, and being flexible in starting and ending the sessions (Najimi, A, et al, 2017). Other advantages include "24-hour availability," "session recording," "easy access to the resources," and on-going updating (Mahjob, H. M. P. 2021). However, it has some disadvantage like high costs of launching computer systems and devices, , inaccessibility of computers for all people, schools' unawareness of the copyright laws, Internet accessibility problems, low quality of Internet connections, and inadequate computer skills of respondents (Mahjob, H. M. P. 2021). The number of opportunities for e-learning has increased in recent years, many professionals wonder that the students are ready to succeed in an e-learning IDEAS, Vol. 11, No. 1, June 2023 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 929 setting. In line with this, a number of studies investigated the challenges attributed to e-learning readiness. Aguilera-Hermida, A. P. (2020) stated that during the evolution of e-learning, the students believed that virtual learning was more challenging and there were insufficient support resources. The investigations proved that the implementation of E-learning will be failed because of the colleges and the instructive organizations' minim of preparation. Dalili, M. (2018). proved that the students of Medical Sciences at Sabzevar University were not prepared for the growth of e-learning. It's possible that the success of the students reported in traditional education is not a good indicator of their success in an E-learning environment (Almomani, E. Y et al, 2021). To ensure that teachers and students are familiar with the most recent technology as quickly as possible, schools and university have had to develop or accelerate plans for online education. Online education was already facilitated by a collection of platforms and software applications; however, further enhancements were required to make these tools easier to use and learn from (Dignan, 2020). E- learning also need the readiness of the students to support the implementation of it. It is important because both teacher and students readiness effect to the process of E-learning. The students should have technical training and be able to use the associated devices, because these learning environments necessitate a setting that is mediated by technology. This has raised the question of whether Indonesian higher education students are sufficiently prepared for e-learning and ready to face the challenges that come with it. Thus, this study aimed to assess the E-learning readiness of the students at English Education Department Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Universitas Khairun. It is hoped that the findings will highlight the implementations of e-learning in the academic setting of Maluku Utara. Method The present study used descriptive quantitative in design, aimed to examine the level of E-learning readiness among the students of English Education Departement Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Universitas Khairun during Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. All participants completed and signed the consent form to participate in the study. As the study population was 162 students, the maximum sample size was calculated to be 80 students. The participants were selected through stratified random sampling method from three subgroups of bachelor. As to the selection criterion, the selected students were those who had attended virtual classrooms for at least one semester during Covid-19 Pandemic. The questionnaire was the instrument used in this study. The students' perceptions of their readiness for e-learning were examined using this questionnaire's four questions on technology access, online skills, motivation, and internet accessibility. 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree 1, disagree 2, neutral 3, Firmansyah1, Magvirah Octasary2, Irmawaty Hasyim3, Yety4 The students’ Readiness for E-Learning during Covid-19 in North Maluku 930 agree 4, and strongly agree 5) was used to measure the responses to the questionnaire. Students were more prepared for e-learning with higher scores. In addition, the scores that were obtained could be broken down into three levels: "ready," "neutral," and "not ready." A checklist was used to collect the demographic information of the participants, including their age, gender, and educational level. The participants received the questionnaire and checklist via social networks, which included the following: Telegram, WhatsApp, and others). The consent form that the participants were required to complete was also included in the link. The data were descriptively analyzed using frequency and percentages. Results Demographic information This study was conducted on 73 students of the English Education Departement Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Universitas Khairun during Covid-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was completed by 73 out of 162 students to whom it was sent. The descriptive results of the participants' demographic data were presented in Table 1. There were 63 females (86.3%) and 10 males (13.7%) participated in this study. Most of the participants were from the first semester consisted of 63%, and 86.3% from Maluku Utara. Table 1 Demographic Information. No Variable Frequency Percentage 1. Gender Male 10 13.7% Female 63 86.3% 2. Academic Years 2019 1 1.4% 2020 12 16.4% 2021 14 19.2% 2022 46 63% 3. Origin Maluku Utara 63 86.3% Other 10 13.7% Detail of Online Learning Activity Table 2 shows the detail of online learning activities. The majority students (87.7%) used smartphone as the devise in online learning. Only few of students used laptop or PC in the process of online learning. Moreover, zoom was the most frequently used as online platform (61.6%), followed by google meet (17.8), and Social media (11%). Further, the majority of participants learn both theoretical and practical (80.8%). And considering the types of online learning strategies used by the participants were live online class (49.3%), uploaded exercise (11%), and blended (39.7%). IDEAS, Vol. 11, No. 1, June 2023 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 931 Table 2 Detail of Online Learning Activity No. Learning Activity Frequency Percentage 1. Device Used in Online Learning Smart Phone 64 87.7% Laptop 3 4.1 Others 6 8.2% 2. Online Platform Used During Online Learning Zoom 45 61.6% Google Meet 13 17.8% Social Media 8 11% Google Classroom 1 1.4% Other 6 8.2% 3. Learning Model Used During Online Learning Theoretical Lesson 12 16.4% Practical Lesson 2 2.7% Both Theoretical and Practical Lesson 59 80.8% 4. Learning Method Used During Online Learning Live Online Class 36 49.3% Uploaded Exercise 8 11% Blended 29 39.7% The participants' perceptions of their E-learning readiness. Table 3 reports the participants’ perception of their E-learning readiness. The result shows that (59%) participants ready for E-Learning during Covid-19. Moreover (34.2%) participants answered neutral, and (6.8%) participants were not ready for E-Learning. This is the report of students’ readiness of E-Learning during Covid-19. Descriptive results of the participants' perceptions of their E-learning readiness. Table 3 The students’ perception of their E-Learning readiness Category Frequency Percentage Ready 43 59% Neutral 25 34,2% Not Ready 5 6,8% Total 73 100% The data above show that majority of the students in English Education Department Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Universitas Khairun were ready for E-learning during the Covid-19. 59% students show the readiness in having E-learning, 34,2% neutral and 6,8% were not ready. The result of questionnaire examines the readiness of the students in internet accessibility, device Firmansyah1, Magvirah Octasary2, Irmawaty Hasyim3, Yety4 The students’ Readiness for E-Learning during Covid-19 in North Maluku 932 used, and the method used during online class. This is the evident that the students in Maluku Utara were ready to use E-Learning in learning process. Discussion The world-wide spread of Covid-19 transformed educational institutions into virtual education (Alghamdi, A., et al, 2020). However, in many nations, school and university students did not have the same resources to perform effectively under the new conditions. This is caused by the students not being prepared for e- learning, resulted the students were experiencing psychosocial effects related to e- learning (Pedro , F. 2020). The aim of this study was to find out how prepared students at the English Education Department of the Faculty of Teachers Training and Education at Universitas Khairun were for e-learning during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The results showed that during Covid-19 pandemic 59% of the students had ready for E-learning, 34,2% neutral and 6,8% were not ready. It was indicates that the majority of the students at English Education Departement Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Universitas Khairun were ready to face E-Learning. Most of the participants had provided in internet access, devices used were available and the method used during online class were easy to adapt. However most of them used smartphone in having their online class. On the other hand, (Aboagye et. Al 2021). Found that the students lacked of readiness for virtual education. The results also evidenced that the students supported two factors "Technological adaptation" and "Internet usage", so improving the technological facilities in this regard can enhance the students' readiness for E-learning. Therefore, according to the current situation, if this educational system is established, the students' adaptation to benefit from online classes and distance learning should be enhanced. Dalili, S. M., Hasan, N. F., & Tabaraei, Y. (2018) stated that providing students with high-speed Internet access without network interruptions and a quiet home environment can boost students' motivation. In line with Clemen, I. G., et al. (2021), which found that one of the challenge affecting students' e-learning during the Covid-19 pandemic was the availability of technology. In addition, Muilenburg, L. Y., & Berge, Z. L. (2005). identified the costs and Internet connection as the two less significant barriers to virtual education. In actuality, these two factors affect access to modern technology, which has been recognized as an important factor in e- learning readiness. This study also found that female students were more prepared for e- learning than male students, and that female students were more likely to be ready than male students. Almomani et al.'s findings are consistent with these findings. Studies show that female students are more satisfied with their online learning experience because they value and are interested in planning and participating, IDEAS, Vol. 11, No. 1, June 2023 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 933 which can make them more prepared for e-learning (Almomani et al., 2021). The current study has some limitations. The results of this cross-sectional study should be interpreted with caution for a certain amount of time. In addition, the participants' perceptions of their readiness for E-learning may have been influenced by cognitive and affective factors because they had previously participated in online learning during the pandemic. Another factor that was not taken into account in this study was whether the participants lived in a city or a rural area. This likely caused the participants to have different access to technology and Internet connections. The findings highlighted the urgent need to reevaluate the current situation in terms of the requirements for running virtual education, increasing students' participation in online group discussions and communication, and increasing their learning motivation in light of all these limitations. The effectiveness of online teaching strategies utilized for students in various disciplines during the epidemic should also be the subject of future research. Additionally, future research ought to take into account the individual's socio-economic status, which is one of the factors influencing students' E-learning readiness. Conclusion The opportunity to acquire new abilities exists in some conditions. Many students around the world have adapted to online education as a result of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Additionally, the majority of participants in this study were well- prepared for E-learning, as demonstrated by the study's findings. So that the university can offer online education. However, by providing students with the necessary infrastructure and training courses to learn new software and skills, it is necessary to increase their motivation to learn. The current study, like all other studies, has some limitations. 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