What’s Next? Challenges of Teaching English in the Post-Covid-19 Pandemic in Kuwaitu

Abstract

The migration from the traditional teaching method to online learning has affected both learners and educators at all levels. In Kuwait, this switch is implemented during three semesters. In this paper, we examine the challenges that Teachers of the English Language face today in Kuwait Post COVID-19. After the temporary on-learning that lasted three semesters, the current study investigates the impact of English language skills on school learners. The survey of the current study consisted of a total of 58 English female government secondary school teachers. While other studies have focused on the challenges that learners faced during this pandemic, this study chiefly concentrates on government teachers. The significance of this paper is to provide remedial plans to respond better to emergencies. The main question of this study is ‘What are the challenges that governmental ESL teachers faced during the pandemic? And what are the remedial plans that could be implemented? To answer these questions, a mixed methodology is used to achieve the research goal in which data are collected through an open-ended questionnaire and by interviewing three randomly selected participants. Teachers’questionnaire (closed-ended) and semi-structured narrative interviews revealed that COVID-19 has a positive and negative impact on English language skills. The effects of online English language learning on secondary school students in Kuwait result in a poor level of proficiency that teachers would need to improve. There are numerous challenges facing English Language teachers in the traditional classroom and remedial plans are being implemented to fix the impact that the pandemic left on students’ language skills.

Comparative Analysis of TESOL Methods within the Context of English Language Education in Kuwaiti Universities

“…The ability to communicate effectively in English has become a key determinant of success for individuals in various spheres, including education, business, and diplomacy. This realization has spurred the adoption of innovative teaching methodologies to better equip learners with the necessary language skills (Alshuraiaan, 2023;AlAjlan & Ani, 2023).…”