Abstract:
There have been numerous professional discussions on whether or not to
adopt the use of learners’ own language in English language classes for best learning
results since the spread of English as a primary language in
various domains worldwide. Yet, lately, this hypothesis about using only English in
class has been gradually investigated, and the use of own-language is still being
examined. Therefore, this study aims to shed light on L1 use practices from the
perspectives of teachers. The sample consists of one hundred and three English
teachers in Istanbul in Turkey. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were
the main methods used to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the research
questions. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents agree with using
L1 in language teaching and learning. Gender, age, qualifications, types of schools
show some associations with the use and attitudes towards L1. Female, novice,
graduated teachers in the public sector show more inclination towards the use of their
own language as revealed by the one-way analysis of variance and the chi-square
tests. The findings of the current study suggest that L1 use practices occupy a larger
space in English curricula
