Abstract
Kuwait, an Arabic-speaking country in which English serves important functions, has adopted so many methods in teaching EFL in public schools which in 1993 started with the Grammar-Translation and continued until 2005 the eclectic method was applied. In 2005 the emphasis on communicative techniques and almost entirely through listening and speaking in the first grade was used. This qualitative investigation of the opinions and teaching practices of twelve first grade teachers found that certain communicative techniques were seen by many of the teachers to contribute to slow academic progress and motivational problems: not translating vocabulary, not overtly correcting errors, not teaching reading and writing, and not giving formal tests. In spite of the important functions of the English language in Kuwait, it appeared that most of these first graders were not hearing English outside the classroom, which appears to be important for the success of the communicative method. Most teachers and some parents were concerned that the children were not being prepared for formal examinations in their future. The conversational frame of the drills and recitations probably contributed importantly to students’ understanding of English as a functional language. However, the communicative aim of encouraging students to absorb English through hearing it conversationally was undercut when the non-native-speaking teachers modeled English mistakes.
Highlights
This study takes place in the context of worldwide experimentation over how best to synthesize traditional teaching methods, such as the audio-lingual and grammar- translation approaches, with communicative language teaching (CLT), which for several decades has been widely regarded as the best way to teach English as a second (ESL) or foreign (EFL) language
This study investigates teachers’ reactions to their mandated teaching techniques in an attempt to understand the influences that are being brought to bear on the changing Kuwaiti curriculum
Six major themes emerged as foci of concern or disagreement over method: how much to translate English into Arabic, whether to correct errors overtly, whether there should be formal and explicit testing, whether reading and writing should be taught in first grade, students’ motivational problems, and teachers’ English proficiency, According to the teachers, the Kuwait Ministry of Education was keenly interested in the success of various aspects of the curriculum in the classroom, and had invited schools to forward teachers’ written comments on the textbook and curriculum
Summary
This study takes place in the context of worldwide experimentation over how best to synthesize traditional teaching methods, such as the audio-lingual and grammar- translation approaches, with communicative language teaching (CLT), which for several decades has been widely regarded as the best way to teach English as a second (ESL) or foreign (EFL) language. This new debate is engaging educators in many regions of the world, including, as this paper illustrates, the Arab world. English has come to be used as a lingua-franca in many situations: science and technology research, international diplomacy and business, and communication at many levels between speakers of different languages
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