FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI KESULITAN PEBELAJAR EFL DALAM KETERAMPILAN MENDENGARKAN

This study aims to identify the difficulties encountered by English education
students at Tadulako University in their listening skill and to investigate the factors
causing these difficulties. A qualitative descriptive approach was applied, with
participants selected through purposive sampling to ensure they met the research
criteria. Data were collected using questionnaires and interviews to gather insights
into students' difficulties and the underlying causes. The questionnaire, created
using Google Forms, involved 34 participants and consisted of 19 items divided
into four categories: speaker factors, listener factors, content factors, and supporting
factors, adapted from Hamouda (2013). Additionally, semi-structured interviews
were conducted with six students, with three conducted face-to-face on campus and
three via WhatsApp video call. The data collected from the questionnaire and
interview were analyzed statistically and descriptively using content analysis.
Member-checking was used to validate the interview data. The findings reveal that
the main difficulties faced by students are accents, unclear pronunciation, speed of
speech, multitasking, lack of vocabulary, complex grammar, unfamiliar topics,
noise, poor classroom conditions, and poor audio quality. The causes of these
difficulties are categorized into four factors: speaker factors, listener factors,
content factors, and supporting factors. Therefore, this research suggests that
lecturers can enhance students' listening skill by exposing them to a variety of
accents, facilitating improved vocabulary acquisition, providing background
information or context prior to listening tasks, and ensuring optimal classroom
conditions and audio quality.
Keywords: EFL Learners, Factors, Listening Skill