Unpacking The Opportunities and Challenges in Learning Speaking Through Online During COVID-19 Outbreak: A Case-Study of Indonesian EFL University Students

Abstract

The challenge brought by Covid-19 have threatened not only in the economy and health fields but also in the educational sector. In the light of education, this issue had led to the swift migration of the learning process from conventional mode to online learning resulting in another bottleneck during the process. The present study explores the perceptions of EFL Indonesian college students about the challenges and benefits of studying speaking through an online learning system during the Covid-19 outbreak. Forty-five college students were participated in this study and interviewed through a questionnaire in the weeks following the final term examinations for the 2020-2021 academic year. The data was probed by using grounded theory proposed by Creswell. The findings exposed that effectiveness, online benefits, and improvement opportunities were the benefits obtained by students from the online learning. Meanwhile, distraction and information overload, technology, and internet connectivity as well as limited interaction and inadequate support were hindrances that often hampered the students. Consequently, this scholarly paper also provides advice on the essence of the readiness of adequate facilities and the collaboration from stakeholders; government, teachers, students and parents to successfully implement online learning