Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

The Needs of Teaching English through Effective Interaction for Early Childhood Teachers

Siti Hamira Md Ngajib, Mazlina Che Mustafa, Zainiah Mohamed Isa, Ainon Omar, Zaharah Osman, Mohammad Aziz Shah bin Mohamed Arip, Noor Aini Ahmad

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i11/5379

Open access

This study explores the early childhood teachers’ needs in teaching English through effective interaction with young children. Qualitative approach and case study design have been adopted for this study involving six qualified early childhood teachers. Research methods include pre- and post-observation interviews, observations and field notes. Observation were carried out two times for each teacher during free play sessions, meal times, circle times, teaching and learning sessions as well as the storytelling sessions. Thematic analysis is used to analyse the data deductively. The themes emerged are organised to answer the research question. In order to interact effectively in English with the children, the teachers need to have interest in the language and develop self-confidence. Positive English dominant environment is also crucial for the teachers to interact with their colleagues and children in English. In conclusion, it is important to analyse the early childhood education teachers’ needs to ensure the effectiveness of English interaction between them and with the children. The implications of this study highlight that early childhood education teachers need to go for continuous professional training on teaching English to children and there should be monitoring on the use of English as an effective interactional tool.

Bligh, C. (2011). The silent experiences of young bilingual learners: A small scale sociocultural exploration. (Doctoral Dissertation). CREET: The Open University.

Brierley, A. (2003). Including non-English speaking background in our kindergarten programme. Early Education, 3, 3-17.

Chlapana, E. & Tafa, E. (2014). Effective practices to enhance immigrant kindergarteners? Second language vocabulary learning through storybook reading. Reading and Writing, 27(9), 1619–1640. doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014- 9510-7

Chodijah, I. (2008). English in Primary School: Gem in the Mud. Paper presented at the Bangalore Conference ‘The Way Forward: Learning from International Experience of TEYL’, 3–6 January 2008. Bangalore, India: RIESI

DeVillar, R. A. & Faltis, C. J. (1991). Computers and cultural diversity: Restructuring for school success. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Dholakia, N. & Zhang, D. (2004). Forum?: Qualitative social research. Online Qualitative Research in the Age of E-Commerce?: Data Sources and Approaches 2. Typology of Qualitative E-Commerce Data Sources. Forum Qualitative Social Research, 5(2), 0–10. Retrieved from http://www.qualitativeresearch.net/index.php/fqs/article/viewArticle/594/1289

Ellis, R. (1999). Learning a second language through interaction. Amsterdam, NL: John Benjamins.

Enever, J., Moon, J. & Raman, U. (2009). Young learners English language policy and implementation: International perspectives. Garnet Publishing Ltd., 38(3), 504– 506. Retrieved from http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/sites/ec/files/books-young- learner-english-language-policy-and-implementation.pdf

Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M. & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Hazleena, B. & Abd. Razak, Z. (2013). A qualitative analysis of EFL learners’ task generated discourse. Education Journal, 2(6), 242–248. doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16

Mackey, A., Abbuhl, R. & Gass, S. M. (2012). Interactionist approaches. In S. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 7-23). New York, NY: Routledge.

Mazlina, C. M. (2015). Supporting Asian immigrant English language learners: Teachers’ beliefs and practices. Published doctoral dissertation, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Mohd. Sidek, H. (2011). ZPD, scaffolding and syntax development. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 1(6), 164-176.

Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.

Pica, T. (1994). Research on negotiation: What does it reveal about second language learning conditions, processes, and outcomes? Language Learning, 44(3) 493-527. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01115.x

Tsang, A. (2017). EFL/ ESL teachers’ general language proficiency and learners’ engagement. RELC Journal, 48(1), 99-113. doi.org/10.1177/0033688217690060

Van Canh, L. & Renandya, W. A. (2017). Teachers’ English Proficiency and Classroom Language Use: A Conversation Analysis Study. RELC Journal, 48(1), 67–81. doi: 10.1177/0033688217690935

Wang, S. (2015). Key issues in second language acquisition since the 1990s. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(9), 1916.

In-Text Citation: (Ngajib et al., 2018)
To Cite this Article: Ngajib, S. H. M., Mustafa, M. C., Isa, Z. M., Omar, A., Osman, Z., Arip, M. A. S. bin M., & Ahmad, N. A. (2018). The Needs of Teaching English through Effective Interaction for Early Childhood Teachers. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(11), 1877–1887.