Hustarna, Zulfa Sakhiyya, Mursid Saleh, Sri Wuli Fitriati
Previous studies conducted in traditional classroom contexts have indicated that teaching listening is challenging for many teachers and might be more complicated when it is taught online. Therefore, this qualitative inquiry, using a case study design, aimed at elaborating on two English lecturers’ experiences in teaching listening online during the Covid-19 pandemic, that is, the tears and tea at a public university in Indonesia. A questionnaire, a semi-structured interview using the Zoom application and online observations were the research tools we applied to gather the data. The findings from the thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) revealed that the lecturers mainly experienced the ‘tears’ of teaching online listening. Those were caused by many problems they encountered while carrying out the online listening instruction. The problems included technical (internet connections, electricity supply, internet cost, environment) and pedagogical aspects (students' characteristics, online assessments, listening pedagogy, and digital literacy). The only ‘tea’ they had was the flexibility of online teaching. These findings can inform educational institutions that accessibility, pedagogical and digital competencies are critical elements for successful online learning and teaching experiences. The lecturers' experiences may contribute to students' online learning experiences. Finally, this paper ends with a recommendation for the betterment of the online teaching and learning process. © 2026, Asociacion Mexicana de Maestros de Ingles MEXTESOL A.C. All rights reserved.
Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Muaro Jambi, Indonesia; Universitas Negeri Semarang, Central Java, Semarang, Indonesia
