Afghan EFL Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions on the Use of The Kabul Times as Authentic Reading Input

Abstract

This study investigated the use of The Kabul Times as an authentic reading input in Afghan EFL contexts and examined how students and teachers perceived its pedagogical value. The study employed a quantitative survey design and used two separate questionnaires administered to 60 students and 10 teachers from Kabul-based English language learning settings. The student questionnaire measured frequency of reading, teacher use in class, perceived difficulty, comprehension of main ideas, vocabulary development, reading fluency, motivation, online access, and preference for greater classroom use. The teacher questionnaire examined classroom use, weekly frequency, instructional purpose, adaptation practices, pre-teaching of vocabulary, perceived usefulness, student difficulty, and appropriateness of articles for different proficiency levels. The findings showed that both groups viewed The Kabul Times positively as an English-language resource, particularly for vocabulary growth, reading fluency, motivation, and connection to real-world Afghan issues. Students reported moderately positive perceptions overall, with the strongest agreement appearing in items related to local relevance, motivation, and perceived language benefits. Teachers expressed even stronger support for using the newspaper in EFL classes, although they also noted that the articles may be challenging for learners and therefore require careful selection and scaffolding. The study concludes that The Kabul Times can serve as a valuable pedagogical resource in Afghan EFL classrooms when teachers select articles appropriately and provide support for learner comprehension. The findings suggest that local English-language newspapers can bridge authentic media use and language learning, offering practical value for TESOL instruction as well as for the broader educational use of English-language journalism in Afghanistan.