Elementary School Students’ Attitudes toward Constructivist Learning: Insights From ESL Classroom Implementation

Abstract

A preliminary study was conducted by doing an observation focusing on the attitudes of students at a national plus elementary school located in Cengkareng, Indonesia. Many of them showed demotivation and low interest in English as a Second Language (ESL) lessons because they felt the activities were boring, and they did not understand the importance of learning English. One way to overcome the problem was by implementing the Constructivist Learning Model (CLM) to provide a positive environment, leading to positive student attitudes. Therefore, this study aimed to explore students’ attitudes toward the CLM in ESL learning. Mixed-method research was employed by using questionnaires and observations. The participants of this study were 23 3rd-grade students from a national plus elementary school located in Cengkareng, Indonesia. The findings were analysed based on the three components of the ABC Model of Attitudes: affective, behavioural, and cognitive. The results showed that the implementation of CLM resulted in positive students’ attitudes, with the mean 2.61 out of 3.00 for affective, 2.31 out of 3.00 for behavioural, and 2.28 out of 3.00 for cognitive aspects. Affectively, CLM made students enjoy their lessons. In the behavioural aspect, they were more engaged in the learning process. Cognitively, the students were able to build connections between the lesson and their lives and have responsibility for their learning journey through intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. In conclusion, CLM is recommended to be included in ESL classrooms.