Exploring The Obstacles Faced by EFL Students in Listening Comprehension at ELESP : A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Listening comprehension is a fundamental skill in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning, yet many students experience difficulties in understanding spoken English. This study aims to explore and describe the obstacles encountered by students in the English Language Education Study Program (ELESP) during listening comprehension activities. A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed to examine students’ lived experiences of listening difficulties. Ten ELESP students who had completed listening comprehension courses were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed four major categories of obstacles: cognitive or processing, linguistic, affective, and environmental. Cognitive obstacles primarily involved difficulties in processing rapid speech in real time. Linguistic obstacles included limited vocabulary, unfamiliar idiomatic expressions, and complex sentence structures. Affective obstacles were associated with anxiety and lack of motivation, while environmental obstacles included background noise and poor audio quality. The findings also indicated that these obstacles are interconnected, with difficulties in one area potentially intensifying challenges in others. The study concludes that effective listening instruction should address linguistic, cognitive, affective, and environmental factors in an integrated manner. These findings provide insights for EFL educators in designing listening activities and instructional strategies that are more responsive to students’ needs and challenges.