Exploring The Need for a Bilingual Approach in English Learning in an Indonesian EFL Tertiary Setting

Abstract

This study scrutinizes learners’ perception of the bilingual (Indonesian-English) approach in an English language classroom at an Indonesian EFL tertiary setting. In particular, this study examines learners’ attitudes and beliefs about first language (L1) use in the second language (L2) classroom and the functions or purposes of L1 use in the English classroom. This study employed a survey design. One hundred and ten university learners enrolled in English major (n=110) participated in this study. The data were collected through a questionnaire adopted from Hall and Cook (2013) and analyzed statistically. The result of this study revealed that the bilingual approach (L1-L2 use) was more favorable as perceived by Indonesian EFL learners, and the use of L1 in the L2 classroom in various degrees of context or purposes was preferred. This study also showed the need for a gradual shift from L1 to L2 use along with learners’ English proficiency progress. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.
 Keywords: L1 use, L2 use, bilingual, monolingual