Teachers' Knowledge of English Young English Learners In the Indonesian Context

摘要

Teachers' knowledge of the characteristics of their students, including English language young learners is important in supporting successful learning. This paper discusses teachers' knowledge of English learners in Jambi city of Indonesia. Thirteen secondary-trained EFL teachers teaching English to children at nine selected primary schools in Jambi were interviewed for data collection. A thematic data analysis conducted revealed that these teachers recognised several specific characteristics of primary school children that underlined their teachings such as innocence, curiosity in learning, limited attention span, and active user of English. Few themes emerging from responses of the participants relate to Indonesian cultural values, and others described characteristics of child's development.