Cross-language Exploration: a way to explore the use of L1 in the classroom at a Southeastern Mexican University

Abstract

The place of the First Language (L1), in the classroom has been studied by many researchers in relation to the advantages and disadvantages of the use of the mother tongue in foreign language (FL) courses. This study aimed at uncovering the main reasons for which participants use the L1, in this case Spanish in an EFL course and finding out students’ perceptions of the use of their L1 in an EFL course. This study was carried out at a Mexican undergraduate programme. Participants were 11 students who were enrolled in a basic English course from a business and economics undergraduate programmes during the first semester of 2019. The study used a qualitative method and followed an action research design. Data were collected through observation in situ, a questionnaire and a cross-language exploration assessment task. Findings reveal that the participants have a great acceptance of the Spanish use in the English class. Most of the participants agreed that they use Spanish for different reasons: to translate vocabulary, to socialize, to ask questions, to participate, to compare answers or vocabulary, and to compare similarities and differences between L1 and EFL. All in all, the use of the Spanish is something that is always present in language courses. Despite the generalized idea of it causing detrimental effects on the target language learning; this study showed that it can render positive effects, at least at early stages of the EFL learning process.