THE USE OF L1 IN ESL CLASSROOM

Abstract

For a long time, there has been a controversy about whether or not students' native languages should be utilized in English language courses. The literature reveals two competing viewpoints: those who feel L1 should not be used in L2 classes and advocate for its prohibition, and those who believe L1 is good for L2 learning and should be utilized in English language courses. However, there is currently no common strategy to the usage of L1, which causes confusion among teachers about when L1 should and should not be used and for what purposes it should be used. This argument piqued our curiosity in performing this investigation. The purpose of the study being to investigate the use of L1 in an ESL classroom. moreover, the students and teachers’ attitudes toward it. In addition, this study set out to discover the main purposes teachers and students think L1 should be used for and if there are similarities in their views concerning the purposes of L1 use in an English language classroom. Data were collected using questionnaires taken by teachers and students of secondary school. Findings revealed that the use of L1 was encouraged by teachers. In addition, students revealed generally positive attitudes towards its use. However, they both employed its use and recognized its usefulness at times suchas explaining difficult grammatical points they also employed its use for joking and discussions outside the classroom. Generally, the teachers used L1 in English language classrooms in order to facilitate students‟ comprehension.