**4. Research results**

There are two themes that emerged during data analysis from an argument of findings for this investigation [22]. In consideration of reading proficiency levels, it emerged that reading is affected by disbanded learner groupings due to the COVID-19 pandemic era code of practice. The second finding outlined relates to learner attitudes resulting in feeling isolated from their peers, and yet this is proving to somehow influence language development intertwined with learner achievement.

#### **4.1 Proficiency levels in reading**

Among the group of participants, one teacher reported own observance on proficiency levels in reading among learners since in the classroom setting, learner groupings had no longer become the talk of the schooling environment: *My greatest worry is that learners in my class previously performed maximally well during the times when I used to group them as per their reading abilities.* On the same view, another

*Social Distancing Disbanding Learner Groupings: A Case on Language Development DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104893*

participant concurred: *With time, all those who still displayed some difficulties in reading texts would improve through interactions and support made by members in a single group. Learners would later require me as their teacher to allow time to engage in competing as groups as a way to encourage learners to be all in an accepted level with regards to their proficiencies in comprehending with texts.*

#### **4.2 Learner attitudes versus isolation**

It was divulged that the majority of learners felt isolated from their peers. Henceforth, the current COVID-19 social distancing restrictions pertaining to the seating logic of one learner seated in a stipulated distance away from the other, they no longer had opportunities to either exchange ideas or share information as they used to when seated as groups.

In relation to this encounter, one participant argued that: *Even if those learners who are super gifted than the rest have successfully comprehended with the text within a short space of time, as their teacher I have recently developed reluctance to either pair or group learners according to their reading abilities, with fear of clomping learners together, in case one contaminates the deadly disease from the other.* On that note one participant reported a story that left us so sad, but without any remedy to suggest: *As I came a little bit closer, one by one, to those learners with difficulties to comprehend with the assigned texts, they almost gave me a similar response that they felt so isolated and deserted as groupmates who used to assist them were now seated afar, making it difficult to easily exchange ideas and ask for assistance and mentorship when they came across new, unfamiliar and difficult words.*

#### **5. Discussion**

Pertaining to reading proficiency levels, a key finding was a noted deterioration in reading progress among learners. Teachers offering English language as a subject debated that motivation within learners as groups no longer exists, actually, it has then been compromised as each learner had to battle or struggle on comprehending the text all alone, this somehow displaying a sudden lack of collegiality among learners registered for the same subject. This situation was even made worse by the current situation that existed when learners were at their cultural or rather home backgrounds. Learners had reported to respective teachers that isolation also roams in their living environments to such an extent that even if one had a neighbor with whom they are enrolled for the same grade, phase, or subject, parents denied their children access to visit others for purposes of information sharing sessions [23]. As authors of this manuscript, we really feel pity for the cohort of learners experiencing difficulties in comprehending with texts. Actually, this then becomes a call for language teachers to identify alternative strategies that would curb the situation of learners who feel isolated and left alone, as this might lead to implications of increased learner-dropout rate as well as lowered progression levels. On the other side, a reading nation is a wealthy nation, we all need to engage with written texts in order to be an economically balanced country.

To curb the situation, learners need to be motivated so as to be able to adapt in the unfamiliar systems of self-independency. Motivation is known for its importance especially in learning an unfamiliar language, in this instance this being an English language. Motivated learners have since been noted of achieving their goals, while on the other hand those with lack of motivation become victims of not obtaining the intended academic achievement. Nurtured motivation has been identified to lead higher levels of language competence. It therefore lies with English

language teachers that as learners are held in situations of no longer vibrantly engaging with group members in the classroom environment, learners be encouraged and driven toward attaining short-term goals such as reading and writing, by so doing, they would improve in language proficiencies. Dissolution of learner groupings is perceived by learners as not supportive toward language learning. With limited collaboration, some learners could undergo stress disorders or related sicknesses [6–10].

Furthermore, as collaborative learning has proved to yield good results, teachers are then advised to let learners learn as either pairs or groups, even if the seating plan makes learners to be scattered from each other [24]. This method of learning collaboratively has been proved by other writers to have some advantages as research argues that in group work learners have an opportunity to learn from each other as they can better unpack some ideas clearer to respective classmates, as compared with how a teacher would have tackled it, this at times resulting from that some learners have an introvert attitude, as such become reluctant to seek assistance from their teachers [25].

From the collected data, it also emerged that the newly designed seating plan for learners to be positioned apart from their peers seemed to have some adverse impacts on learning, and specifically for the purposes of this investigation, isolation led to attitudes of neglect, this having an influence on language development [26]. The current seating plan in the schooling environment is attached with compliance of COVID-19 regulations on social distancing as prescribed by the South African government. Elements of anxiety in learners revolve around logistics encounters with regard to loneliness, discomposure, and loss of peer interaction [27]. To the authors' perspective, these critical aspects are likely to have an influence on academic content and uncertainty in learner progression. Teachers also reported that learners whose comprehension levels were not of the expected average normally raised concerns that the current seating plan causes lots of stress, likely to impact on their development in learning.

On the other side, teachers also reported their concern regarding learner isolation as this might impact on emotional and social learning [28]. Proficiency gaps in reading abilities were noted by language teachers to have erupted ever since the innovations on the classroom seating plans, in so much that isolation even from friends and family in general, have normally resulted into an unhealthy social learning environment. This finding is in line with the views that for a task to be considered as outcomes-based, learners are expected to cultivate some links in between the content learnt and the encompassing learning styles thereof. Moreover, as learners comprehend and intermingle in the target language that is being learnt, there seems to be a crucial need for them to interact and communicate among themselves for easy access to acquire the logistics of the new and the unacquainted language. Engaging in such a strategy is likely to rebuild self-confidence, this leading to improved language proficiency levels [29]. For satisfactory progress, learning in schools needs to be a process administered through social relationships, including oneself, life, as well as collaborating with others through unanimous decision-making [30, 31]. By so doing, the school then becomes a family because of the supportive networking by both teachers and groups of learners. For such networking to be lost, it then really becomes a greatest concern ever. As the authors of this manuscript, we therefore opine for paramount importance that language teachers devise the necessary strategies aimed toward improved language proficiency with revised approaches to help rebuild the lost self-intrinsic inspiration within learners as swept away by isolation logistics.

*Social Distancing Disbanding Learner Groupings: A Case on Language Development DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104893*
