TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON L1 USE IN ENGLISH CLASSES AT A UNIVERSITY LANGUAGE CENTER
Keywords:
English classroom, English teacher’s perception, first language (L1)Abstract
A number of studies have revealed that English teachers perceive the use of first language (L1) in English classrooms as beneficial. However, most of these studies concentrated on high school teachers and teacher educators who typically follow a government-mandated curriculum and are constrained by limited instructional hours for English. Consequently, there is a need for further exploration in other educational contexts, such as university language centers, where teachers often have greater flexibility in designing their curriculum and tend to conduct more intensive English instruction. This study aimed to examine English teachers’ perspectives of the use of L1 in English classrooms within the context of a university language center. The participants included 15 English teachers from the language center of a public university in Indonesia. Using questionnaires and interviews, this study revealed that while the majority of teachers believed English should be used as much as possible in the classroom, they also acknowledged the important role of L1 in enhancing the teaching and learning process. Specifically, the most common purposes for using L1 included checking students’ comprehension, explaining grammatical concepts, introducing new vocabulary, and creating supportive atmosphere for students in the classroom.
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