The construction of age-appropriate pedagogies for young learners of English in primary schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT Teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to young learners has been implemented at primary school level in many non-English speaking countries. One factor that determines the success or failure of primary EFL programmes is pedagogical practices. Recognising this importance, this study explores age-appropriate creativity for the practice of teaching English to young learners in Vietnamese primary schools. The participants are six EFL teachers in six different primary schools in Vietnam and the data are collected from interviews and classroom observations. From the perspective of the participating teachers, there are four components constituting their age-appropriate creativity. These are English language use, artistic components, meaningful contexts and real-life practice created in the classroom. The age-appropriate pedagogies constructed by the participants, as discussed in this study, offer a source of reference for teachers of English to young learners, within and beyond Vietnam.