Malaysian Teachers’ Beliefs on the Integration of Arts into English Language Learning in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

The growing need to master English from an early age presents unique challenges, as young children learn differently from adults. Teaching English to young learners (TEYL) therefore requires creative strategies and varied methods that go beyond conventional adult oriented approaches. To overcome this, teacher can integrate the creative nature of art to English language learning. However, implementing such integration in classroom needs teachers’ strong beliefs to ensure the success of this process. Therefore, this study seeks to explore Malaysian teachers’ beliefs on the integration of art and language in early childhood education. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through interviews and class observation as secondary data. Afterwards, data are analysed through coding and thematic analysis. The findings revealed six key themes that reflect the teacher’s beliefs on the benefits of integrating art into language instruction: scaffolding and instructional support, student engagement and creativity, higher order thinking skills, independent expression, language skills development, and cultural awareness. The findings of the research sheds light to how Malaysian Teacher’s beliefs build her application of art integration in her teaching practice. The study also offers implications for teacher training and future research in early childhood language education, and beyond Malaysia, the findings provide insights for other countries with similar cultural and educational contexts, suggesting possibilities for adapting art integration practices in early childhood language classrooms.