Unveiling Learners’ Perceptions of Audio-Lingual Method in Learning English

The purpose of this qualitative study was to unveil the learners’ perceptions of Audio-lingual Method in learning English of the selected 20 participants of the sixth-grade learners in Banwalan Elementary School, Barangay San Jose, General Santos City which focused on the learners’ experiences on using the Audio-lingual Method, the challenges they encounter, and the success stories they can share. Through in-depth interviews and focused group discussion, the study revealed that learners experienced progressive improvement via repetition method, enhanced listening skills, heightened reading development, gained confidence in sentence construction, engaged into interactive learning, learned through modeling approach, incorporated conversational practice and developed language fluency.  However, challenges such as limited vocabulary development, struggle to apply the language skills, found it difficult to construct sentences, absence of poor knowledge, poor comprehension, lack of speaking confidence and unable to concentrate with the lesson were also noted. Despite these challenges, learners reported notable successes, including increased listening comprehension skills, enhanced English writing skills, able to speak through imitation, significantly improved reading ability, learned to understand English better, practiced conversational English confidently, and satisfied on using Audio-lingual Method to learn English. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of Audio-lingual Method in developing foundational language fluency and listening proficiency in learning English. The study contributed to the understanding of the ALM’s role in learning English and provided insights for English teachers to refine their teaching strategies to better support learners’ diverse need.