The main objective of this study is to broaden the knowledge on the innovations in teaching English as a second language in primary schools in Poland and Uzbekistan. It is expected that research will contribute to the improvement of the practice of teaching English for young learners in both countries through formulating a set of recommendations for policy and teaching practice.

The research aim is to solve the main research problem that is formulated in the form of a question: “What is the place and role of innovations in English language teaching in primary schools in Poland and Uzbekistan?”.

In this study, it is claimed that the contemporary schools have to introduce innovations into the educational process in order to respond to the challenges of the daily life and prepare children for the future (Green, 2019). The teacher who is perceived as a user, a creator and a transmitter of new knowledge enriches the information resources of didactic and educational practice and on these basis designs (and implements) new solutions, contributing to the development of education and upbringing, making up pedagogical progress (Schultz,1989). In this study attention is paid to ELT in primary schools. This level of education is part of compulsory education in both countries. It is very significant to teach English to children at this level of education, they best adopt new information through interesting and entertaining ways (Misirova, 2018).

As for the issue of innovations in language teaching process, it should be stated that ELT is significantly evolving under the influence of technology advances. Mobile devices (Majer, 1997), Edmodo (Kumelashvili, 2016), Piktochart (Graham, 2019), Kahoot (Martin, all, 2021) have gained popularity as tools of teaching language and contributed to the current changes in the teaching process. To make it clear what innovation means for English language teaching, it is first necessary to lay the theoretical foundations of the concept of innovation. The concept of innovation is as follows creating or introducing new idea, method, or tool (Adair, 2007). Innovation can be as creative as the introduction of a new toy, or it can be as advanced as the introduction of instantaneous imaging technology into photography (Curtis and William, 2006). Innovation also refers to the use of electronic technologies to provide learning opportunities for learners, which is contrary to the traditional classroom model (Robinson & Schraw, 2008). Many academics find that innovation is defined as a change, or the other way round change may be described as the adoption of an innovation (Credaro, 2006, Rogers, 2003). Moreover, innovativeness has been intensively researched as a determinant of the adoption of innovations ( Aldahdouh, 2020). Innovation can appear as a new pedagogic theory, methodological approach, teaching technique, instructional tool, learning process, or institutional structure that, when implemented, produces a significant change in teaching and learning, which leads to better student learning in education (Serdyukov, 2017). Innovations in teaching and learning can be perceived in the different dimensions for my study. For instances, CLT (Liao, 2000), Project method (Tursunova, 2019), CLIL approach (Darn, 2020), multimedia technology (Pun, 2013, Alemi & Daftarifard, 2010), CALL (Hall & Hewings, 2013), Total Physical Response method (Freeman, 1990), Minecraft game Westbrook, 2021) and Sudoku game (Ting, 2009) are innovations in ELT in primary schools.

Teachers need to engage in professional speech and make a significant contribution to the development of educational policies and practices. Teaching is not an easy profession (Tonna& Michalak, 2018). Especially, teaching English to young learners in primary schools. To sum up, teachers should be equipped with high-quality initial and in-service teacher education (Madalinska Michalek Joanna & Misirova Nigina, 2020).

This research is conducted through mixed methods design elements of qualitative and quantitative research approaches for the broad purposes of breadth and depth of understanding and collaboration are combined (Johnson et al. 2007, p. 123). Data will be collected with using not only online questionnaires directed to the English teachers, but interviews, observations and document analysis as well. For the purpose of the interview and observations primary schools where teachers are well known from the usage of innovations in teaching English lessons from both countries will be chosen. Ultimately, mixed methods research is about heightened knowledge and validity. The design as a product should be of sufficient quality to achieve multiple validities legitimation (Johnson and Christensen 2017; Onwuegbuzie and Johnson 2006), which refers to the mixed methods research study meeting the relevant combination or set of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods validities in each research study. For the interview I will choose one primary school from Warsaw, Poland and one primary school from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. There should be the schools where teachers are well known from the usage of the innovations in teaching English lessons. This includes interviewing English teachers from primary schools in Poland and Uzbekistan. The second part is the interview, which will provide further information and explanations of the topic from English teachers between both countries. The next data is to prepare online questionnaires and send them to English teachers in Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow, and Tashkent, Kharezm, Fergana and analyze their answers. I will choose the above big cities of both countries, where are situated in many primary schools and also send the list of questions which are related to my research and I will collect the data through online survey. During the observation, two different experimental lessons will be organized for 4th grades. One is conducted to use new innovative teaching methods in English and the other is based on traditional methods. In the study, it is determined which methods bring more results and conveniences. Document analysis is a form of qualitative research in which documents are interpreted by the researcher to give voice and meaning around an assessment topic (Bowen, 2009). As for document analysis, I will choose pupils’ handbooks which are taught English language in both countries’ primary schools. For instance: Kids’ English book.

The findings of this study will contribute to the knowledge in the field of teacher education research and they potentially provide helpful guidelines for foreign language teaching and learning process, especially for teachers who teach at primary schools in both countries. The findings can be applied in the young learner classrooms to conduct effective and productive classes in the future. As for research outcomes, they are related to use different types of innovations in English language teaching which brings educational and occupational achievements than other traditional methods in contemporary schools. The study is also very significant for me as a person as I have worked at primary schools as a teacher of English for five years. And the time that I spent at school was very important for me. I observed that even though teachers have a lot of possibilities to use innovative methods of teaching and learning English at schools, they still opt for traditional ones, at least in my own country context (Uzbekistan). To conclude, teaching language to primary school pupils not as an obligation, but rather through the use of fun games and innovative techniques, can serve as a foundation for their future knowledge. Therefore, the education system also has the task of educating a free-thinking, well-rounded, mature person; in the future we can contribute by developing more perfect ways for future teachers to effectively use innovations and innovative technologies. The results of this study can potentially provide helpful guidelines for foreign language teaching and the learning process, especially for those teachers who teach young learners at primary schools of both countries. Furthermore, it can certainly prove to be an unforgettable experience in my teaching career. I believe my project to be socially relevant in addressing urgent global issues, and academically relevant in following cutting-edge research trends.

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