English at Primary School: EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices The Case of Primary Schools at Bordj Bou Arreridj

Abstract

Abstract Due to the global spread of English as a lingua franca, Algeria, like many developing countries around the world, is offering English as a school subject beginning from primary stages. The research aim was to explore teachers’ perceptions and practices towards the implementation of English in primary schools. This study adopted a qualitative method by observing and interviewing seven teachers. This investigation took place in different primary schools in BBA.In order to collect data and answer the research questions, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven primary school teachers and observations were undertaken with five teachers. The data collected was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the teachers had positive perceptions related to the introduction and benefits of teaching English to young learners. With regard to the practices of teaching English in primaryschools, it was found that there are many different challenges faced by the teachers. In terms of practices, many methods, techniques and media were revealed to be used by the teachers and reflect the effectiveness of teacher training for them. The results of this study suggested that English learning in primary Schools should be improved and reconsidered so that students get the benefits from learning English. Keywords: Primary English Teachers perception, Teaching English to Young Learners, Algerian Primary Schools,English as a lingua franca , Positive perceptions , Practices of teaching English in primary schools .