This study aims to understand how English teachers in public primary schools in Indonesia develop and implement lesson plans and explore the challenges they face in teaching English in primary schools. This research used a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews, and lesson plan document analysis. Data analysis was conducted using the thematic analysis method, which involves six systematic stages to identify patterns and themes.
The results showed that teachers faced significant challenges, such as limited English education backgrounds, lack of formal training, and diverse student needs. Teachers design lesson plans by using resources such as articles, online materials, and lecture experiences. However, learning objectives are often challenging to achieve. This finding indicates the importance of specialized training to improve teachers' ability to create more effective, flexible, student- centered lesson plans. Principal support, including training, sufficient time for teaching preparation, and practice-based learning by teacher education lecturers, are also important in improving teaching quality.
This study provides practical implications for teachers, principals, and teacher education lecturers to strengthen teaching practices and lesson plan development. In addition, this study recommends that future research uses mixed methods and involves more participants from various contexts to obtain more comprehensive findings.
