Use in FL Classrooms - Graduate Students’ and Professors’ Perceptions of English Use in Foreign Language Courses

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by SANS

The report examines graduate students’ and professors’ perceptions of using English (L1) in foreign language (FL) courses, drawing on data from 25 participants at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). Classroom observations, interviews, and questionnaires are triangulated to compare stated views with actual practices. Findings indicate some students feel comfort with L1 use, while others experience threat and interference, and professors attempt to align practice with student views. Results suggest L1 has value but is not the only instructional tool.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Literature Review

Definitions and policy debates

Functions of L1 in L2/FL learning

L1 Use in FL Classrooms: Graduate Students’and Professors’ Perceptions of English Use in Foreign Language Courses This report explores participant perspectives on L1 (English) use in foreign language classrooms. The study includes data collected from 25 participants, 23 students and 2 professors, from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). A combination of classroom observations, interviews, and questionnaires were used to collect data. The data were triangulated to determine if the participants’ views reflected their actual classroom practices. The data show that while some students found comfort in L1 use, others felt threatened by the L1 and viewed it as an interference. Furthermore, the professors respected their students’ views and thus attempted to use the L1 accordingly. Rather than relying on the L1 to facilitate all communication, the professors and students alike included the L1 in their repertoire of learning and teaching strategies. This study suggests that the participants understand the value of L1 but realize that it is not the only tool available. Because of “English-only” rules or attitudes of various institu tions, many language educators often feel confusion or guilt about the decision to use the students’ L1 in foreign and second language classrooms (Butzkamm, 2003; Creese, 2010; Copland & Neokleous, 2011; Edstrom, 2006; Swain, Kirkpatrick, & Cummins, 2011; Tang, 2002) . I have also experienced such feelings, and I am starting to understand that many language teachers share my guilty conscience. But research has shown that L1 use in the L2/FL classroom can serve a variety of important functions (Creese, 2010; Polio & Duff, 1994; Swain & Lapkin, 2000; van Lier, 2006) . Polio and Duff (1994) found that university-level foreign language instructors used English in eight different ways, including grammar instruction, creat- 66 • The CATESOL Journal 25.1 • 2013/2014 ing empathy and solidarity, and remedying student lack of comprehension. Swain and Lapkin (2000) found that students’ L1 use during“collaborative dialogues” allowed them to “co-construc[t] their L2”and “buil[d] knowledge about it [L2]”(p. 254) . Additionally, as an instructor I have experienced the benefits of L1 use in both EFL and ESL classrooms. Using Japanese while teaching English to Japanese speakers in the US and Japan allowed me to demonstrate an appreciation for my students’ language and culture. Atthe same time, my students used Japanese for task management and to facilitate understanding in the classroom. The students used their L1 to plan and prepare before using the L2 to complete the tasks. Also, they often used their L1 to assist each other or clarify difficult concepts. Realizing, however, that all my teaching experience has thus far been with beginner and intermediate students, I wondered what role L1 might play in advanced foreign language classrooms. I was unsatisfied by the notion that although L1 use at the beginner level is acceptable and perhaps necessary, at advanced levels the use ofthe L1 in the classroom is unjustified and should therefore be used sparingly, if ever (Brown, 2007) . Because the “first language is perhaps the most useful and least-used resource students bring to the classroom”(Kumaravadivelu, 2003, p. 250), I wanted to explore the potential role of L1 use in advanced language-learning environments. If beginning and intermediate learners can benefit from the use ofthe L1 in the classroom, it is possible that advanced students can benefit as well. Moreover, while investigating previous empirical findings on the use of the L1 in the L2 classroom, I discovered discussion concerning the students’ views (e.g., see Edstrom, 2006). In fact, Polio and Duff (1994) expressed the need for further research of the “students’ perceptions of issues related to classroom L1/L2 use”(p. 324) . Literature Review The use of the students’ first language, native language, or mother tongue (L1) in

FAQs

What data sources were used to study L1 use in FL classrooms?

The study used classroom observations, interviews, and questionnaires, then triangulated the data to compare perceptions with actual classroom practice.

How do students’ perceptions of L1 (English) use differ?

Some students report comfort using L1, while others feel threatened and view L1 as interference.

Why do professors consider students’ views in their teaching?

Professors respect their students’ perspectives and attempt to use L1 accordingly, while also including L1 as part of broader learning and teaching strategies.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by SANS