CURRENT PRACTICES, CHALLENGES, AND TEACHER NEEDS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN: A PRELIMINARY MIXED-METHODS STUDY

Abstract

Aim. To examine current English language teaching practices in preschool settings, identify the principal pedagogical and contextual challenges encountered by teachers, and determine priority professional-development needs at the preliminary stage of developing an evidence-based English language teaching model for early childhood education. Methods. A convergent mixed-methods study was conducted using a model dataset comprising 44 English language teachers from 11 preschool institutions. Quantitative data were obtained through a structured 32-item teacher questionnaire, while classroom practices were examined through 16 structured lesson observations. To provide qualitative depth, 10 teachers participated in semi- structured interviews. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples comparisons, χ² tests, and Pearson correlations were used for quantitative analysis. Interview data were analyzed thematically and integrated with survey and observational findings. Results. Play-based activities were reported as being used regularly by 68.2% of teachers, songs and rhymes by 72.7%, visual materials by 79.5%, storytelling by 52.3%, and pair or small-group communication by only 38.6%. Classroom observations showed lower frequencies of interactive practice than self-reports, particularly for child-initiated communication (31.3%) and open-ended questioning (37.5%). The most frequently reported challenges were maintaining children’s attention (70.5%), managing active classrooms (65.9%), adapting activities to different language levels (61.4%), limited age-appropriate materials (56.8%), and insufficient methodological preparation (54.5%). Teachers who had completed preschool-specific professional development during the previous two years demonstrated higher pedagogical-practice scores than those without such training (78.6±7.9 vs 69.4±9.1; p=0.001). Pedagogical self-efficacy correlated positively with use of interactive practices (r=0.48; p=0.001). Qualitative analysis generated four themes: knowing the principles but struggling with implementation; balancing play and instructional control; managing linguistic and developmental diversity; and the need for practical, classroom-embedded professional development. Conclusion. Preschool English teachers demonstrated substantial awareness of developmentally appropriate practice but inconsistent implementation of interactive and communicative methods. Classroom management, differentiation, methodological preparation, and access to age-appropriate resources emerged as major measures may be affected by social-desirability bias. Fifth, child language outcomes were not assessed at this diagnostic stage. The next phases of the doctoral research should therefore validate the needs- assessment instruments in a larger sample and examine whether a structured teaching model improves teacher practice and child language outcomes. 9. Conclusion This preliminary mixed-methods study suggests that preschool English teachers are generally aware of the importance of play, visual support, songs, movement, and child-friendly instruction but experience difficulty implementing consistently interactive and communicative pedagogy. The principal challenges were maintaining attention, managing active classrooms, differentiating instruction, obtaining appropriate materials, and translating methodological principles into practical classroom procedures. Teachers with recent preschool-specific professional development demonstrated stron