Abstract:
This study investigates teachers' perceptions on the use of the Total Physical
Response (TPR) method in teaching English to the elementary school students. The
purpose of this study is to discuss the perceptions of teachers in teaching English to
elementary school students and to explore possible contributions of TPR in
facilitating TEYL. A mixture of methods, quantitative and qualitative, was
implemented in this study. Data from this research were collected from
questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Questionnaires were distributed
to 51 Elementary English teachers and FGD data were obtained from 4 teacher
representatives from the group. The results showed that the majority of elementary
English teachers have some degrees of familiarity with the TPR method, particularly
its "practice." For some teachers in the study, however, this method was considered
new. Specifically based on their practices in the class, the teachers' recalled the
implementation of TPR and concurred on perceptions that TPR contributed to
students in facilitating TEYL. Furthermore, this study also discovered specific
strategies of implementation in teaching English in both lower and higher classes in
elementary schools.
