Exposure to English in the Primary School English Classroom : There Are Ways to Make a Foreign Language Comprehensible without Translating

Abstract: This study regards the importance of exposure to English in English education. The study identifies factors of education proven to be effective when learning a language, such as exposure, the pupils’ lives as a platform, repetition, a calm and secure environment, learning connected to physical action and use of pictures and body language to aid verbal language. Lessons were designed in accordance with existing previous research and literature on exposure to the language. The lessons were carried out among first-graders to determine whether they were successful or not. The success was measured through results from a pre-test as well as a post-test which were both followed by interviews with the pupils. The differing results from the pre- and post-tests as well as the interviews with the pupils indicate the lessons are successful as the scores were higher in the post-test and the pupils could identify their own progress.