Reasons for Afghan Teachers’ First Language Use in EFL Classes

Abstract

The use of L1 in EFL classes has been an ongoing debate for many years since language educators use L1 in EFL classes for different reasons. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the reasons for Afghan teachers' L1 use in EFL classes at Balkh University. Semi-structured interview was conducted with a sample of 5 EFL educators with 10-15 years of teaching experience from the English Department of Balkh University. The sample for the study was chosen purposively due to proximity, easy accessibility and availability of the participants. Content analysis was employed for the analysis of the obtained data from the study based on the emergent themes. The result shows that Afghan EFL teachers at Balkh University use L1 in their classes for different purposes, namely, as a pedagogical tool for clarification, as a tool for establishing rapport, as a discipline and class management tool, based on curriculum and syllabus demand and as per need of students’ level of language proficiency.