Young Learners’ Attitudes towards Learning English as a Foreign Language: A Study at a Primary School

Abstract

In recent years, English has been taught as a compulsory subject in Vietnamese primary schools. It is necessary for all EFL teachers and educators at primary schools to understand young learners’ attitudes towards EFL learning. The aim of this study is to explore the young learners’ attitudes (YLs) towards learning EFL at a public primary school (Henceforth called PPS) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with the participation of 133 fifth grade students. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through the employment of the questionnaire and interviews. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used. The results of the study revealed that most YLs have a positive attitude towards learning EFL. In addition, several pedagogical implications are provided for EFL teachers and YLs in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning English in PPS in particular and in other similar EFL contexts in general.