Abstract
Two main opposing approaches exist regarding the impact of first-language (L1) use in the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language: the monolingual and bilingual approaches. Some linguists assume that students’ L1 should be banished from their English classes, whereas others assert that it facilitates the process of learning a target language. The purpose of this study was to investigate learners’ attitudes towards the use of L1 in their English classes, both by the students themselves and by their teachers. The current study also determined which factors caused the learners to switch from the TL to their L1. This study was conducted at Salahaddin University, Erbil, at the end of the first semester of the 2016-2017 academic year. It employed a mixed-method approach of data collection and analysis. Two hundred and fifty-eight EFL learners participated in the quantitative data collection, by completing a questionnaire and the qualitative data were collected via face-to-face semi structured interviews with eight EFL learners. The findings revealed that participants had a slightly positive attitude towards the use of their L1 in the facilitation of their TL learning. By referring to current theories of TL acquisition and reviewing recent literature, it can be inferred that learners’ L1 has a necessary and facilitating role in acquiring a foreign language under certain conditions.
Highlights
English language plays an important role in almost every aspect of modern life, the interest of learning English as a second/foreign language has grown for the last few decades (Hasman, 2000)
Two hundred and fifty-eight English as a foreign language (EFL) learners participated in the quantitative data collection, by completing a questionnaire and the qualitative data were collected via face-to-face semi structured interviews with eight EFL learners
More specificall, this study examined the perspectives of EFL learners at Salahaddin University regarding the use of their native language in their EFL classes
Summary
English language plays an important role in almost every aspect of modern life, the interest of learning English as a second/foreign language has grown for the last few decades (Hasman, 2000). The increasing need for learning a second/foreign language has brought significant attention to % teaching methods and approaches, the medium of instruction and the role of L1 has become one of the most important issues that should be taken into consideration. In this regard, two main opposing approaches exist regarding the impact of L1 use in the teaching and learning of English as a foreign or second language: the monolingual and bilingual approaches. There are others (Atkinson, 1987; Auerbach, 1993; Deller & Rinvolucri, 2002; Phillipson, 1992; Prodromou, 2002; Swain & Lapkin, 2000; Vanderheijden, 2010; Weschler, 1997) who see learners’ L1 as a facilitating tool in learning the TL
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