Teacher`s attitudes toward English language teaching in heterogeneous classes

Paper

Mixed-ability classes are a fact of not only language classes but of all courses and have been recognized to be one of the greatest challenges for teachers. The article deals with challenges that Slovenian English leanguage teachers face in primary school when teaching English to young learners in mixed-ability classes and their attitudes towards the topic. It discusses teachers role, problems, benefits and peculiarities of teaching English in heterogeneous classes. The study was conducted on a sample of six English teachers from six different primary schools in Slovenia. Telephone interview has been the method of collecting data. We investigated if teachers see the differences between students, the strategies they used in the classroom, the challenges they faced when using differentiated instructions and if they need extra training in this field. Results of the qualitative analysis have revealed that teachers identify the differences between students and that the differences influence on their teaching. The variety of effective strategies and methods have been defined (group work, participation, cooperation, extra work for talented strudents, and the role of students as teacher`s assistants). Teachers evaluate teaching in heterogeneous classes as difficult and are often overloaded, but they think they have enough knowledge to deal with it successfully. Also some recommendations for further studies and teachers` training have been provided.