Why Using L1 in TEYL? : A Teacher's Perspectives

Abstract

The use of L1 in an L2 classroom has been heavily debated While some research supports the avoidance of L1 use in the classroom, others suggested that L1 use helps students understand and learn more effectively. While many studies discuss this controveny in secondary and tertiary level of education (e.g. Kim and Petrarki, 2009; Miles. 2004; Tang, 2002, etc), little research has been conducted in primmy level. To fill this gap. This paper tried to explore the use qf L1 in EFL pre-school contexts. Two main research questions were addressed, i.e. why the teachers felt necessary to use L1 and for what purposes they used L1 in their classrooms. Based on the interviews and classroom ohserrations, it was found that the teachers felt necesswv to use LI due to the role of the Ll and L2 in the children's daily lif'e. As the L2 is not used in the children's daily life, avoiding the use of L1 would therefore hinder the children's understanding and learning progress. Hence. the teachers used L1 for several purposes, such as to explain difficult words, to check the students understandings, to discipline and control, to introduce new concepts and instructions, to give more detailed advice, to create a teacher-students' bond, and to introduce Indonesian words. It is hoped that these findings could enrich both researchers ' and teachers' perspectives on the use of L1 in L2 classrooms, especially at the primary level.