Exploring Teachers’ and Parents’ Attitudes towards Teaching English at Primary Schools. Case Study: Teachers and Parents of 3 Pupils at Mestghanmi Mokrane and Si Lehlou Primary Schools in Bouira

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to explore the teachers’ and parents’ attitudes towards English language teaching at Algerian primary schools and their possible reasons for supporting/opposing this idea. For this purpose, the study employed a mixed method research design, where 2 questionnaires were employed: one for 15 parents and another for 2 teachers in order to obtain the essential data for the study. Data was then analyzed statistically using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) and qualitatively using descriptive analysis. The main findings indicated that the study’s participants generally agree with the idea of introducing English at primary schools because they believe that it makes pupils very proficient in English, develops their cognitive abilities, leads to a better academic performance in the future, and increases their learning motivation. While those who opposed introducing English did so because they thought it is too early for pupils to acquire a foreign language. The findings of this research imply that the English Language plays an essential role in developing the pupils’ cognitive abilities and provides them with high gains to manage their life in the future. Also, the main recommendations were to give English a more important status in Algeria, giving the choice to children to choose their favorite foreign language to study, and taking parents attitudes into account.