Identifying Young EFL Learners Problems in Speaking Skills : A Teacher Perspective

Abstract

Abstract :

Based on data from a recent international research project, this article focuses on the problems that young learners face in their English speaking skills from a teacher's perspective. To collect the data, this research used a qualitative approach using a case study through observation with 3 English teachers of primary schools as participants and the instruments used were individual interviews and literature review. The purpose of this study is to find out how the challenges and also the strategies of teachers in dealing with the difficulties that their students experience in speaking English, because so far as we know that English has become an international language to communicate. This study found several challenges faced by teachers in teaching speaking to young learners such as lack of vocabulary mastery, mother tongue use, students' confidence issues, and speaking in order of sentence structure. Then, many strategies are applied by the teachers in teaching speaking to young learners such as discussion, describing pictures, and role-playing. The researcher hopes that this study can be a reflection for English teachers that in determining learning strategies must be adjusted to the material, conditions, and also the ability of students so that students are able to follow the learning process well.