The Perspective of Iranian High School Teachers on the Use of L1 in English Classes

Learning a second language in an EFL context requires both students and teachers to cooperate efficiently and resourcefully. By referring to the current theories of second language acquisition and reviewing the recent literature, it can be seen that the first language of learners (L1) has a necessary and facilitating role in all aspects of language instruction. This indicates that the bilingual approach is gaining more support by incorporating the students L1 as a learning tool and also as a facilitator for an efficient communication. The focus of this study is to investigate the amount and purposes of L1 use in EFL classrooms by teachers and students in English classrooms in Iran. The results indicated that the participants were positive about L1 use, as they believed it can serve to scaffold language and content learning, although the amount of first language use varied greatly from teacher to teacher.

Keywords:

Use of L1 , High school , Teachers , English classes