Young EFL Learners’ Difficulties in Getting English Input after Class: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Input plays a significant role in second language acquisition, however, young EFL learners’ input at school is limited. Numbers of studies regarding the improvement of classroom teaching have been carried out, and this research will put focus on children’s English input beyond the classroom, mainly at home. In-depth interviews were conducted to examine the experiences and perceptions of three families (three primary school students and their parents), and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore Chinese young EFL learners’ difficulties in attaining input at home. The findings were that these families mainly encountered three difficulties, which included absence of English guidance at home, strong dependence on school and dilemma in English material selection.