Problems in Learning English Faced by Elementary School Students in Jambi City

Abstract

Considering the importance of learning English since early ages, some elementary schools in Jambi City administer English as one of the local contents. However, based on the preliminary observation, many students encountered a number of problems in learning English that needs further exploration. This study aims at finding out problems faced by the elementary schools students in Jambi City in learning English. This study used a descriptive method taking teachers and students from seven elementary schools in Jambi City as the respondents. The data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires were distributed to the students through Google form, and the interviews were conducted to teachers of the seven elementary schools. The data were analyzed quantitatively. The results show that the problems faced by the students are: (i) lack of vocabulary; (ii) pronunciation difficulties; (iii) unexpected learning atmosphere; and (iv) less motivation. The findings suggest the need of more creative teachers who are technologically literate and easily adaptable to the students' problems in learning English.