Factors Contributing to the Use of L1 in English Classrooms: Listening to the Voice of Teachers and Students in Iranian Institutes

By the growing emphasis on communicative language skills, the attention toward using first language in secondlanguage classrooms has been raised. The primary aim of this study was to find out teachers’ and students’ perceptionstoward the utilization of L1 in English classrooms in Institutes. In order to do this objective, the researcher used amixed methods research design. Two groups of participants were used in this study. They were 56 EFL learners ofelementary, intermediate, and advanced level and 11 EFL teachers who were selected through convenient sampling.The proficiency level of the students was determined using Nelson Proficiency Test (NPT). The quantitative data werecollected through a questionnaire while the qualitative data were collected through teachers’ interviews. After the datacollection and analysis, the results of this study revealed that students in all language levels in Institutes had positiveperceptions toward utilizing L1 in L2 classes, teachers indicated their eagerness toward using L1 in their classes, andused L1 in high schools more than in Institutes. Furthermore, this study has some implications for EFL teachers.

Keywords:

First Language (L1) , Second Language (L2) , students’ perceptions , teachers’ perceptions