An exploration into teachers’ attitudes and use of warm-up activities in the English classroom: The case study of third-year primary school teachers

Abstract

The English language in Algeria is broadly taught as a foreign language and is increasingly likely to have a positive impact on learners’ future academic and professional outcomes. This is why English has been recently integrated into Algerian primary schools as early as third grade. This study explores Algerian primary school English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ attitudes and use of warm-up activities in the English classroom. To address the aim of this study, a heavily qualitative exploratory design has been implemented. The researcher used two data collection tools to gain a better understanding of how teachers organized warm up activities in their English classes, as well as to investigate how these activities influence primary schools’ English lessons. The researcher observed a total of six third-grade sessions at a primary school in Bouchagroune, Biskra, Algeria. Each of the observed sessions involved a total of 30 to 34 pupils. The second data collection tool was a semi-structured interview, which included 11 questions and focused on exploring Algerian primary school teachers’ perceptions toward warm-up activities in the English classes. To analyze the classroom observation data, the researcher mainly relied on keeping records the frequency of primary school EFL teachers’ use of warm-up activities and their forms. On the other hand, qualitative data generated from classroom observations and interviews were analyzed using thematic coding and presented through descriptive statistical means. The results of this study indicated that Algerian primary school EFL teachers employed warm-up activities to a moderate extent in their English classes. Additionally, these teachers displayed favorable attitudes towards the incorporation of such activities. These findings led several implications that could guide primary school teachers in using more engaging warm-up activities.