Challenges and Strategies of In-Service EFL Teachers in Online Language Teaching: A Saudi Arabian Case Study

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID-19 has greatly influenced conventional language learning and teaching, leading to a rapid transformation toward online learning and teaching. In many places, language learners and teachers experienced a sudden shift to online instruction with limited resources and inadequate preparation. This study examines the challenges and strategies that Saudi Arabian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers experienced in online language teaching and explores how they dealt with such challenges for the implementation of online language teaching. It also identifies ways to help language teachers be more effective in online teaching and better respond to emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. The verification of these challenges and strategies in online settings provides insights into how to teach languages better online. The results of the study indicate that online language teaching was accepted as a professional practice, which has benefits such as flexibility and accessibility, but also poses pedagogical and technical issues. Online language teaching requires context-specific strategies, including maintaining student motivation and continuing professional development.Keywords: Online language teachingEnglish as a foreign languagein-service teacherschallengesstrategies Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.