Adapting Instructional Materials for Malaysian Primary ESL Classrooms: Teachers’ Perspectives And Practices

Abstract

Instructional materials are very important in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms. However, materials prepared for teachers may not always fit certain English learning needs and classroom situations of Malaysian primary school students. Hence, this study explored Malaysian primary school ESL teachers’ perspectives and practices in adapting instructional materials for classroom use, with particular attention to their adaptation practices, the factors influencing their decisions and the challenges they encountered. Governed by Teacher Cognition Theory, the study employed a qualitative research design involving semi-structured interviews with six purposely sampled Malaysian primary ESL teachers. These teachers have various teaching experiences and are from different school contexts, including urban, semi-urban, rural and under-enrolled settings. Interview data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed four interrelated themes: teacher-adapted materials as a pedagogical necessity; learner needs and classroom context as drivers of adaptation; material adaptation as professional judgement and creative transformation; and adaptation as a constrained, iterative and reflective practice. Teachers adapted materials primarily in response to learners’ proficiency, readiness, interests, language exposure and classroom conditions while maintaining intended learning objectives. Their decisions were shaped by professional knowledge, beliefs and experience, although time, workload, learner diversity and resource availability presented significant challenges. The study concludes that material adaptation is not merely the technical modification of instructional resources but a context-responsive process of professional decision-making in which teachers interpret learner needs, adapt materials, evaluate evidence of learning and continually refine their practices.