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PART A

“Early Childhood Teachers’ Challenges in Using English

to Interact with Young English Language Learners”

Early childhood teachers play important roles in producing a person who fluent in two
languages. A few important matters are needed to ensure children acquire the second
language successfully. Therefore, a study has been made. The main objective of the study is
to find out the challenges faced by Malaysian early childhood teachers in using English as a
second language to interact with young English language learners.

Six qualified early childhood education teachers from one early-childhood centre,
who taught English through interaction as well as through teaching and learning sessions with
children age range from four to six years old, were selected as participants for this study.
They also underwent pre-service training and took courses on teaching English for young
children at university level.

The main ways of data collect in this study were using observations and semi-
structured interview. The first method was, the researcher observed about interactions
between teachers and children in English during lesson. The second method was semi-
structured interview, which including pre-observation and post-observation interviews.
Observations were carried out over a six weeks period which enabled a series of snapshots of
challenges faced by the teachers as they used English to interact with the children.

Besides that, for individual case study analysis, three steps were involved which were
in line with thematic analysis. The first step was to review the transcripts and field notes to
get a sense of early childhood teachers’ challenges in supporting English acquisition among
English language learners. The second step of the data analysis was to scrutinise the data to
develop preliminary codes for clustering around topics. The final stage of the data analysis
was to discover the themes.
In this study, there are few of themes that emerged, including:

First, lack of English proficiency. In this situation, early childhood teachers who with
low English proficiency definitely will face difficulties when they carry out English lesson
with the children. They sometimes even will have tough times to think the right
pronunciation, grammar and words to give a simple instruction to the children. However, the
teachers must have good pronunciation as it will lead to clarity and comprehensibility for the
children. A bad pronunciation from the teacher will let the children misunderstand the
teacher’ instruction.

Besides that, as a teacher, they have to speak English well to be convincing to use
English with the children. Although the children would not judge the teacher on how bad the
teacher speaks English, however the teachers are the model for their students in the lesson.
The teacher should able to speak English well by pronouns the words correctly, so that the
children can learn the correct pronunciation from their teacher as a role model.

Some of teachers also faced the problem of limited English vocabulary. In this
situation, most of the teachers tend to mix English and their home language to make complete
sentences while teaching English lesson. This is because most of them felt that they are not
good in English but at long as the children are able to understand what they are saying and
the instructions that have been given.

Not only limited English vocabulary, the teachers also faced problem of grammatical
errors. Some of the teachers are doing a great job of teaching the children. However, there are
some grammatical errors occurred during their lesson, and sometimes even the teacher
themselves did not realised there were grammatical errors. This problem will lead the
children learning the wrong grammar.
Second, lack of interest and low attitudes towards English language. Interest in
teaching English is one of the important factors in making teaching English effectively.
Affective filter is one of the barriers that filter the intake of language learning, and resulting
slow down or discourage the learning progress. The lack of interest in teaching English was
due to their schooling experiences.

In this study, the participants were asked whether they like English language or not,
and resulting they were really fond in English language. One of the participants said that she
did not received any exposure of English language, no matter from her family or even
primary school life, until her high school. This background resulting her become less interest
to English.

Another participant claimed that she had a bad experience of English lesson and
resulting the incident become her starting point of her losing interest in English. Another
participant said that she felt less desirable to speak English because of she could not master
the English language. At the end, these situations will be resulting low attitudes towards
English language.

On the other hand, lack of comprehension is one of the reasons which resulting low
attitudes. During the teacher was carried out the lesson, they feel very challenge because of
the children did not understand what they were saying and asking about. The children only
listened but they did not give any respond to teacher. Some of the children remain silent and
some of them even start talking to each other in class.

In this situation, the teachers’ motivation and attitude will become low. This is
because of no respond from the children. The teacher will feel that is it because of the way
they speak or giving instruction have problems. At the same time, the children were also
influenced by the teachers’ motivation. Children motivation of learning will become low due
to the low motivation of teaching from the teacher. At the end, this will be becoming a
recycle of low attitude influence.
Third, lack of self-confidence among the teachers in teaching English language. Self-
confidence in teachers is one of the important parts for teaching English. Those teachers who
lack of confidence most probably would make mistakes and afraid to try using English. The
participants of this study admitted that they had confidence problem of using English while
interacting with children. They always think that the other people are better than them in
English language.

They feeling not sure about their own ability to speak English, and resulting
themselves translate English language to Malay language and mix up when interact with
children. This is because of they doubted that the children could understand of what the
teacher was saying and give instruction. At the same time, they also worry that the children
could not answer the questions and follow given instructions which in English language.

Fourth, unsupportive culture around us in our country. In our country, especially early
childhood centre, practice of English language is not a culture among the teachers. Even there
is a condition that only English language is allowed to use during meeting, but still everyone
seems like to be silent, rather than making mistake while talking in English. However, in their
mind, they think that if everyone is talking in English, then they would also talk in English.

Not only in working time, even the teachers’ daily interaction, they were rarely using
English language. This is because of the environment around them is not using English as the
language for them to interact with each other. No matter interacts with family members or
friends, mostly of them are not using English as the interact language. In such environment,
they rather to use their mother tongue.

In this study, during the observation, most of the teachers did not use English as a
language of interaction with the children. They would use English as a medium of instruction
and it is more likely a scripted instruction because the same sentences are used in every
instruction.
According the finding of this study, there are a few of them I agree with it. The
finding that which I was most agreed is unsupportive culture. The peoples who around me is
not using the English language as their daily interaction language. Start from my childhood
time, the most common language that I used to be was Chinese language. This is because I
am born as a pure Chinese race, in a Chinese family. There was no any other language, such
as English language has been used by my family members when they interact with me.

The only time that I would speak English was during I am in English class when I was
in my secondary schooling time. However, I only will speak English during the English class
when necessary. Other from that time, I would rather remain silent in class. Until now, I am
married, but still, the daily language that I now use to interact with my husband and children
was Chinese language. This is because my husband is a Chinese language user too.
Therefore, naturally the Chinese language has become the first language for my daily use for
interaction with my family members, friends and people around me.

Due to the situation above, I becoming less confidence when I speak English. I always
will think about is it the grammar of my English sentences have something wrong. When I
start to think like that, the volume of my English speaking become low, and even sometimes
will stuck in the middle way of speaking. I feel shy and worry other people will laugh at me.
All of this is because of I am feeling not confidence of speak English.

As an early childhood teacher, I started to realise the importance of English. I will


start from existing an environment of speaking English and build up my own confidence of
speak English. Therefore, I will choose a day, such as Sunday as English day for myself and
also my family, which mean the whole Sunday we have to use English to interact with each
other. By doing this slowly after a period of time, I definitely will feel more confidence of
speaking English, because of I slowly get used of it. At the end, I hope that I can bring this
culture to my students, or even to their parents.

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