THE THINK-PAIR-SHARE TECHNIQUE ON EFL PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE: TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES

Diem Thuy Thi Dong, Huan Buu Nguyen

Abstract


The Think-Pair-Share (TPS) technique is considered an effective collaborative learning strategy for improving students’ speaking performance in an EFL context. However, primary school students in rural areas in Vinh Long Province still face many difficulties in using English to express ideas due to limited vocabulary, poor pronunciation, lack of confidence, and few opportunities to practice speaking in English classrooms. This study, therefore, aims to investigate teachers’ perceptions of TPS and their practices in implementing this technique to support Grade 5 students’ speaking performance. A mixed-method approach was conducted, involving 50 teachers of English who completed the questionnaire and 6 teachers who participated in the interviews. The findings showed that teachers had positive perceptions of TPS and believed it improved students’ speaking performance. In practice, although teachers frequently applied TPS, they did not always implement all stages consistently because of practical issues like large class size, duration of the lesson, proficiency level of students, and managing the classroom. Thus, the success of TPS was greatly influenced by the flexibility, classroom management abilities, and adjustment of activities to students' needs and classroom conditions. This study confirms the effectiveness of TPS and suggests implications for improving its use in EFL primary school classroom practices.

Keywords


the Think-Pair-Share technique, speaking performance, cooperative language learning

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v10i2.6879

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