To Choose or Not to Choose: EFL Teachers’ and Learners’ Perspectives on Information Overload

Abstract

This paper aimed to investigate the challenges EFL learners face due to the availability of too much information. Teaching and learning without the internet are almost impossible in the 21st century. With the advancement of technology, the internet has made it accessible for all types of learners from all fields to get information. As a result, the availability of the internet has made learners’ lives easy, but at the same time, it throws them into an overwhelming situation. Accessing too much information can negatively affect the learners and burden them with it. Hence, to find out the attitudes of both teachers and students regarding this phenomenon, 22 EFL teachers and 65 students, both males and females at the Faculty of Languages & Translation, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia were chosen randomly to participate in this study. Two separate questionnaires were administered to them. The results showed that teachers and students opined that too much information supported learners in their studies, but it was not without its drawbacks. Students find it challenging when they have access to too much information. Based on the study results, the paper concludes with some recommendations about how both teachers and students can collaborate to avoid being burdened with too many resources.