Exploring Problems Encountered by Six Indonesian Teachers in Teaching English: A Case Study in an EFL Context

Abstract

It is known worldwide that according to Kachru, there are three circles of world Englishes. The first one is the inner circle, then the outer circle, and the last one is the expanding circle. The last one, the expanding circle refers to the countries where English is a foreign language, including Indonesia. People living in the expanding circle may not get as much exposure as the ones living in the inner or outer circles. They are not exposed to both the spoken and written language as much as those living in the previously mentioned circles. Language learners have to struggle in learning English. This paper describes the challenges and difficulties encountered by six EFL teachers in Indonesia. Two research questions guided this study: What challenges are faced by six Indonesian teachers in teaching English? And what solutions do the teachers implement to solve the problems? The six teachers were selected as respondents because they faced special challenges and difficulties in teaching their high school students. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to the teachers and interviews done via Google Meet. The findings revealed that the problems the teachers faced varied from social, personal, psychological, as well as financial problems, which the language learners encountered.