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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
The readiness of the schools and the proficiency levels of the students are related to the teaching of English in primary
schools. The schools will be prepared to teach English if they have an adequate number of English teachers, media,
and textbooks. This is because students in primary schools typically range in age from 6 to 12 years old, and this is
thought to be the optimal time for learning. It is consistent with the fundamental idea that younger students learn
English more effectively. Primary English instruction has advantages as well as difficulties. This article addresses the
problem by outlining its advantages and disadvantages in light of theories and research findings. It then suggests
some workarounds for these issues, which can serve as guidelines for educational institutions offering top-notch
English instruction.
KEYWORDS
Advantages, difficulties, and solutions of teaching English in elementary schools.
INTRODUCTION
Pupils between the ages of six and twelve, who are
considered young learners, are taught English in
primary schools [1]. They will arrive at the class with
varying degrees of English proficiency because they
are still young. They might speak English quite well,
while the others might not know any language at all.
Research Article
ADVANTAGES AND DIFFICULTIES OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN PRIMARY
SCHOOLS
Submission Date:
December 10, 2023,
Accepted Date:
December 15, 2023,
Published Date:
December 20, 2023
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajsshr/Volume03Issue12-30
Mukhabbat E. Sharipova
Lecturer, Tashkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizami, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajsshr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
There is a difference in the motivation of students to
learn English due to this condition. While some of them
believe that learning English is simple and enjoyable,
others believe it is challenging and tiresome [2].
Additionally, it is important to support and encourage
students who are not interested in learning English by
demonstrating that it is an exciting and enjoyable
language, while also providing them with an
appropriate English lesson. As a result, schools that
have the necessary resources
—
like media, English-
language books, and qualified teachers
—
can help
students learn the language and support them
effectively. There must be numerous difficulties
involved in teaching English in elementary schools. For
young learners, learning English can be both beneficial
and detrimental [6]. If the activities are engaging and
relevant to the lives of the young learners, then it
might be advantageous. Additionally, it will encourage
them to pick up English. However, if the exercises are
not enjoyable and relevant to the lives of the young
learners, they may even be harmful. They will therefore
detest learning English as a result.
The main results and findings
Numerous studies on the subject of teaching English in
primary schools have been carried out in support of
that claim. These include textbooks, English teachers,
parents' awareness, the social standing and interests
of the students, and so forth [7, 8]. It is evident from
these phenomena that teaching English in primary
schools presents a number of difficulties and
challenges [7,8,9]. As a result, offering the solutions
can assist the educational institutions in resolving any
issues that may arise during the actual implementation
of the English teaching-learning process. The answers
can be found by providing English teachers with
training, informing parents of the importance of
English, inspiring students with engaging lesson plans,
and other similar initiatives.
In addition to local and national languages, English is
now taught as a foreign language in Indonesian
schools [1]. It is only regarded as a local content
subject, though, according to [2], so schools are free to
decide whether or not to teach English depending on
their unique needs and geographical circumstances.
English was not taught in primary schools in the past,
but it is now deemed necessary for a number of
subjects, including science, technology, culture, and
similar fields. As a result, the Indonesian government
chooses to incorporate English into the curriculum for
elementary schools, which is referred to as the School-
Based Curriculum [3].
Learning the language will be more difficult if it is
acquired after the ideal time. Ages 2 to 14 are the ideal
range [10]. It implies that learning English will present
greater difficulties for adults or those over the age of
14. In a different source, students in most schools begin
learning a foreign language between the ages of 8 and
9 [11]. They think that because it's the best time to learn
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from the teacher, students will not fail to learn a
foreign language during those years.
Additionally, "preschoolers' brains are more flexible,
connected, and active than adults'." [12]. It indicates
that kids have great social skills, enjoy playing and
moving around, and are imaginative and creative.
Therefore, if English teachers consider their students'
needs and are able to recognize their backgrounds,
including their environment, culture, and areas of
interest, the teaching and learning of English in the
classroom will be more successful.
There are other factors besides age that help young
language learners pick up a language more quickly [13].
The success of introducing English in primary schools
can also be influenced by other factors, such as social
interaction, family background, learning strategies,
learning materials and media, socioeconomic
background, motivation, language ability, and quality
of the teachers [4]. It appears that young learners will
have difficulty learning English if they lack motivation
to do so and if their aptitude is not supported at an
early age. It also occurs in relation to the caliber of the
instructors, learning methodologies, socioeconomic
background, media and learning resources, social
interactions, and family history. Success is impossible if
they don't help them with their English language
studies.
Teachers in elementary schools are expected to assess
the advantages, difficulties, and potential solutions
after identifying a number of factors that impact the
effectiveness of English instruction. The method used
to teach English in primary schools will be covered
next. One important aspect of teaching English in
primary schools is emphasised. The reason for this is
that it deals with young students who have special
needs. Young learners have a number of traits,
including being egocentric, imaginative and active, self-
centered, easily bored, and having trouble telling the
difference between concrete and abstract concepts.
They also have low levels of concentration, prefer to
work alone, and enjoy learning new things [4,14,15].
When learning a new language, they pick it up by
doing.
Primary school English instruction serves a number of
functions. They fall into two main categories, like
socialization and interaction [12]. The goals of
interaction are to support children's acquisition and
application of knowledge, such as learning how to
spell; other physical skills, such as cutting and
handwriting; and complex skills, such as reading. In the
meantime, socialization serves to enable kids to
interact and collaborate with their peers as well as to
help them recognize the existence of a larger society.
For instance, working in pairs, playing games, singing
along to a song, and other similar activities can all be
done during class.
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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Primary school English instruction serves a number of
functions. They fall into two main categories, like
socialization and interaction [12]. The goals of
interaction are to support children's acquisition and
application of knowledge, such as learning how to
spell; other physical skills, such as cutting and
handwriting; and complex skills, such as reading. In the
meantime, socialization serves to enable kids to
interact and collaborate with their peers as well as to
help them recognize the existence of a larger society.
For instance, working in pairs, playing games, singing
along to a song, and other similar activities can all be
done during class.
The present study's central hypothesis will be
examined in the following discussion. It covers the
advantages of teaching English in elementary schools
as well as the difficulties and their resolutions. These
concepts are compiled from multiple studies on English
instruction in elementary schools.
Numerous studies have been done on the subject of
English instruction in primary schools. Learning English
in elementary school has a number of advantages,
according to [10, 16, 18]. They all concur that teaching
English in elementary schools will have more benefits
than drawbacks. Benefits include increased awareness,
fluency in language, confidence, and time. The
advantages that the researchers have identified will be
covered in more detail.
According to [16], teaching English in elementary
schools can increase pupils' awareness of their native
tongue. It's quite strange that, for instance, Indonesian
students speak enough Indonesian but are proficient in
English. As a result, in order for Indonesian students to
learn English, they must possess the fundamental
language of communication, which is Indonesian. This
indicates that before students wish to learn English as
a foreign language, the Indonesian language plays a
very important role. However, teaching English in
elementary schools also gives pupils the chance to
develop more significant intercultural competence and
global awareness [16, 18]. This implies that students
will have more opportunities to comprehend the fact
that different countries have different cultures as a
result of learning English. Students who experience it
develop a more positive outlook and become more
tolerant and respectful [10, 16]. English, being an
international language, is also thought to be one of the
best means of communicating with people from
various countries and understanding their cultures.
Because primary school students have more time to
learn foreign language instruction [10], teaching
English to them also helps them acquire better
pronunciation and fluency [18]. If students practice
pronouncing words correctly in English, they will
become more fluent speakers.
Gaining confidence is an additional advantage. One of
the most important things to inspire pupils to learn is
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self-confidence. Their confidence may suffer if they
struggle to understand the lesson. It is anticipated that
one of the initiatives to increase their self-confidence
may be learning English at a young age [19]. If they
speak English well enough, they will feel more
comfortable following the lesson and responding to
the teacher's questions, for example.
Furthermore, given that learning at this age is natural,
engaging, social, multisensory, active, experiential,
memorable, and so on, children learn better than
adults [18]. They will attain a high level of language
proficiency when all of these ideal circumstances are
met.
These results point to a number of advantages for
English instruction in primary schools. According to
these results, it is best for kids to comprehend that
there are various languages used for communication in
this world and that they can categorize languages as
first, second, or foreign. They will become more
conscious of both their native language and the foreign
language they are learning if they know which ones are
first, second, and foreign. They will also speak English
with greater assurance. It's because they pronounce
words more clearly and speak English more fluently
than those who lack confidence in the language.
Since teaching adult learners differs from teaching
children, teaching English in primary schools is not an
easy task. It also faces numerous difficulties. [9] [8] [7].
There are issues with both external and internal
factors. Identity, motivation, and pedagogy are all
considered internal factors. Textbooks, educational
materials, the English proficiency of the teachers, and
class size are examples of external factors. We go over
those difficulties below.
One of the primary challenges associated with internal
factors is pedagogy competence, which pertains to the
appropriate application of instructional strategies. In
language teaching and learning, there are a number of
novel learning approaches, including Communicative
Language Teaching (CLT), Task-Based Learning and
Teaching (CBLT), and others. For a number of reasons,
teachers might find it difficult to introduce those
strategies [9]. For instance, it might not be suitable for
instructing sizable class sizes in environments with
limited resources. As a result, [9] educators must work
harder to apply those teaching techniques in a
successful manner.
Children have diverse motivations, which makes it
challenging to inspire them to learn the language [9].
While some of them might have trouble understanding
English, others might not. Additionally, there is
infrequent assessment of the students' progress. It
poses a small issue because the assessment is
necessary to determine the extent to which the
students have understood the material. Because of
this, people with low English proficiency are not
motivated or even interested in learning if their
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progress is not regularly evaluated. It's actually worse
because the teacher will find it challenging to explain
the material and include the students in activities if
they lack motivation to learn English. However,
parental support is also very important to the students
[8]. Students will not be motivated to learn English if
their parents do not support them in doing so.
Identity is a further source of difficulty. Teaching
English to young students who have a global
perspective while allowing them to retain their
national identity is a difficult task. "A situation in which
a mass of people makes the same identification with
national symbols
–
have internalized the symbols of the
nation" is what national identity is defined as [19]. It
recognizes that each nation has a distinct national
identity and that they are all unique from one another.
It indicates that the students are patriotic because they
can communicate in both local and Indonesian
languages. It is difficult, though, to instill a sense of
pride in students' national identities while they are
learning English. The second challenge is a result of
external factors, specifically textbooks. Some counties
lack textbooks, which poses a problem because
textbooks are essential for helping students learn
English. In Indonesia, the government has mandated
the use of textbooks, but it does not restrict the use of
other resources that can aid teachers in delivering
lessons. Nevertheless, the materials in the school's
chosen textbooks were frequently disorganized and
lacking in illustrations [7]. It is also well-known that
having the right resources available can help teachers
prepare lessons to be used in teaching-learning
activities. In this regard, the lesson plan or content
from textbooks or other learning resources must be
modified in accordance with the needs and abilities of
the students. Children require specific explanations in
the form of demonstrations, according to the source.
It implies that they require something empirical in
place of conjecture [9]. Media that can aid in their
understanding of the lesson is necessary. But the
majority of schools lack adequate instructional
resources [8]. Lack of appropriate teaching resources,
such as media, will make it difficult for teachers to plan
enjoyable activities that get students moving.
Next, a teacher's ability to teach in English may have an
impact. Put differently, individuals with low proficiency
levels tend to be low on confidence, struggle to
engage with kids, and absorb information slowly [9].
As a result, teachers who lack the necessary expertise
to instruct English, particularly to younger students,
should receive training that will enable them to
advance their competencies. But the majority of the
English teachers enrolled in the program expressed
dissatisfaction. They are not proficient in the relevant
method, which is one of the causes [7, 8]. When a
teacher is not adequately assisted by the training to
enhance their competencies, it creates an additional
issue. These issues give rise to grave concerns
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regarding the general caliber of English instruction in
primary schools. As a result, giving English teachers in
primary schools the right training will enable them to
be prepared for a variety of student characteristics.
Then, it is thought that a common challenge is the size
of the class. The teachers find more challenges and it is
more difficult to implement learner-centered learning
in larger classes. Otherwise, students will find it
difficult to move around and won't have enough room
to complete their tasks if the room is too small or
inappropriate for the number of students [9].
These results indicate that there are numerous sources
of difficulty. Therefore, in order to improve the quality
of English instruction in primary schools, the
government works with educators and the school
committee to find solutions to these problems.
One possible solution is for primary school English
teachers to receive some training from stakeholders
who oversee the problem of teaching English to young
learners. In addition, the training must be properly
planned and organized, including by having a qualified
instructor, relevant resources, and an appropriate
methodology. The reason for this is that educators
who work with younger students differ from those
who work with adults. Primary school English teachers
should meet certain requirements [4,20]. The listed
qualifications are as follows: teachers must be
multitalented, conduct assessments, manage their
English classes effectively, be patient, kind, friendly,
humorous, and extremely energetic; they must be
professional and eager to participate in skill-building
activities like training sessions or workshops; and they
must be able to communicate effectively with
students, coworkers, parents, and other stakeholders.
Second, since the students are still young and require
special attention from the teachers, the teachers must
recognize the characteristics of the students in order
to motivate them to learn English. A number of experts
also describe the aspects of young learners [4,14,15].
Because different personalities require different
approaches, teachers who are aware of their students'
personalities can inspire their students to be
enthusiastic about learning English. Teachers can, for
instance, offer engaging and pleasurable activities that
are
age-appropriate,
active
and
experiential,
memorable, and so forth [18].
English teachers must be resourceful in the classroom
because they still need to provide engaging learning
activities, even when they are working with primary
school textbooks and instructional aids that aren't
appropriate for the students. A few enjoyable teaching
strategies for young English language learners include
role-playing, games, storytelling, and music. It's crucial
that English teachers exercise discretion when
selecting and utilizing media and textbooks to enhance
their teaching-learning activities, particularly when
instructing younger students. They must determine
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whether the lessons, resources, and content are
suitable for the students' language proficiency. For
instance, teachers can present subjects that discuss
foreign nations as input and other subjects that discuss
topics pertaining to the students' home country as
output [21]. This demonstrates the significance of
national identity; even though the pupils are studying a
foreign language, they do not lose or forget it. In order
to better assist their students, English teachers should
also be open-minded in their thinking about learning,
trying new things, and enhancing their own
competencies [16] [17]. Additionally, since learning
resources are what will be used to enhance the
teaching-learning process in the classroom, it is
imperative to plan for their absence.
Second, because English language learners prefer to
move around and because physical activity will take up
most of the class time, English teachers must create a
comfortable learning environment [16] [17]. Teachers
may also need to plan an outdoor activity to introduce
their students to the surrounding area. They must also
consider the fact that students keep a report book in
which they record their progress in learning English.
Teachers must serve as the foundation for creating
activities that are suitable for the needs and abilities of
the students.
Lastly, teachers also have a responsibility to inform
parents about the importance of learning English
because it is a global language in the modern world.
Parents can be persuaded by them if they can
demonstrate that a large number of students can
succeed in learning English through participation in
international debate competitions and other similar
events. If parents do ultimately encourage their kids to
learn English, educators must offer more engaging
activities rather than challenging and tedious ones.
CONCLUSION
To put it briefly, it is difficult to teach English in primary
schools. Additionally, there are several advantages to
introducing and teaching English in primary schools.
This means that since students will have more time and
opportunities to learn English, teaching English in
primary schools will benefit them more. Primary
English instruction gives kids more chances to learn
about and become more accepting of other cultures
[10]. However, to meet the aforementioned challenges
and provide high-quality English instruction, it must be
carefully planned and coordinated.
To put it briefly, to enhance their abilities and
effectiveness as teachers, English language instructors
working with younger students must be aware of the
habits, traits, and needs of their students. Additionally,
they will become professionals in their field, especially
when teaching primary school pupils, if they have an
open mind, are willing to ask questions, have a reading
habit, and are curious enough to open a dictionary.
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