The Kurdish Learners’ Beliefs about Using L1 in their EFL Classes

Abstract

The role that students’ L1 plays in language classrooms is debatable. Supporters of monolingual teaching approach think that learners’ L1 should not be allowed in the classroom as it decreases their learning of the new language and it prevents them from receiving useful input in the target language (TL). However, advocates of bilingual approach suggest that its use enhances the process of TL learning and it will benefit the teaching and learning of the new language if both teachers and learners of English as a foreign language EFL use it carefully. The current study has investigated the reasons and attitudes that Kurdish undergraduate EFL learners hold regarding the use of their native language (Kurdish) in their English classes. The participants in the study were eighty-five undergraduate EFL students. The study has used a written questionnaire as an instrument for collecting the data. The data was analysed by using descriptive statistics of percentages and frequency for all items in the questionnaire. It was found that the students generally held a positive viewpoint concerning their mother tongue being used as a scaffolding tool in their EFL classes. It was concluded that a cautious use of L1 can have a facilitating role in learning a new language.