TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) METHOD IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

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.