Teachers’ Views on Effective English Language Teaching Methods at the Elementary Level A Phenomenological Study

الملخص

Teaching English language learning in early stages of elementary level decisions decision that impacts learner’s linguistic ability competence and academic future. In spite of an unremitting policy push for the early teaching of English, classrooms are often mismatched with current moods in pedagogy. This research examines the beliefs of elementary school English teachers in relation to effective English language teaching methodologies through a qualitative analysis of their lived experiences in the classrooms as well as the obstacles they face during their lessons. To extract teachers perceptions and instructional realities a mixed-method research design was utilized within a phenomenological approach. The study was conducted among 44 English language teachers and 237 students from randomly selected conventional elementary schools during the academic year 2024–2025 using classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires as data collection instruments. This research sought to investigate common pedagogies, barriers to quality instruction, and the impact of professional development and resources on classroom instruction. Our findings suggest that a traditional and teacher-centered approach marks EFL instruction in elementary school classrooms, with few communicative activities and little educational technology implementation. Such challenges include overcrowded classrooms, inadequate opportunities for professional development, instructional resources and learners' little exposure to English outside of the classroom, according to teachers. Infrastructure and access to teaching aids, too, showed the urban rural divide. This study also shows the need to thoroughly review pre-service and in-service teacher training programs, adopt a more student-centred approach to teaching and strengthen the institutional level support for the teaching of English language education at elementary level. The findings are useful for policymakers, curriculum developers and teacher educators interested in enhancing the quality of English language teaching to young learners.