The The Role and Advantages of Ice-Breaking Activities in Primary School English Classrooms
Keywords:
Ice Breaking, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Primary SchoolAbstract
This study investigates the implementation and impact of ice- breaking activities on student engagement and classroom atmosphere in primary school English language learning. Employing a classroom action research (CAR) approach, the study followed the spiral model of Kemmis and McTaggart, which includes four stages: planning, action, observation, and reflection.The research was conducted with fourth-grade students at a private elementary school in South Tangerang. Data were collected over three action cycles using multiple methods, including classroom observation, open-ended interviews, instructional documentation, and a teacher's reflective journal.The findings reveal that the systematic application of ice-breaking activities at the beginning of lessons significantly enhances student participation, improves classroom interaction dynamics, and increases learning motivation. Furthermore, the study provided teachers with new insights into selecting appropriate ice-breaking formats tailored to students' characteristics and the subject matter.Based on these results, the study recommends integrating ice-breaking activities as a key component of active learning strategies within the lesson plans (RPP) for elementary-level education.References
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