The Use of L1 in the English Classroom: The Case of Addis Ababa Secondary Schools

Abstract

The issue of whether or not to use the mother-tongue (L1) in the EFL
(L2) classroom has for a long time remained controversial. In spite of efforts to
understand the process of L2 acquisition and ultimately provide a solid theoretical
foundation for L2 teaching, it appears that the jury is still out. As a result, opinions
tend to be sharply divided on the relative value of L1 in the process of L2
instruction. Teachers may hold a certain view about the role of L1 in L2 learning
depending on such factors as their training, their views of the nature of language,
their personal philosophy, and the model of teaching to which they subscribe. This
study aims to explore teachers' perceptions of the role of L1 in teaching English in
the high schools of Ethiopia. In particular, the study seeks to establish the extent to
which English teachers use the target language in executing a range of pedagogic
classroom functions. The study draws on the self- report data obtained from 66
teachers of English in Addis Ababa. The teachers were presented with a list of
common classroom activities performed by teachers and were asked to indicate
whether they typically used English (L2), Amharic (L1), or a mixture of both in
carrying out the pedagogic tasks. The results showed that teachers tend to believe
that 100 % use of the target language is neither feasible nor desirable. The
overwhelming finding is that they do not share the view that advocates total
avoidance of the students' first language in favour of rigid adherence to the target
language. Instead, they seem to believe that students will benefit from a judicious
use of the mother tongue in the English classroom as some classroom tasks are
best handled using the students' language. Moreover, the results emphasise the
view that a more prudent use of language in the classroom does not lie in adopting
an extreme position where the L1 is rejected as counter productive. Nor does it lie
in the lavish and unprincipled use of the students' L1 simply because it offers an
easy option