Reasons for EFL Teachers’ L1 Use in Classrooms: Teachers’ Versus Students’ Perceptions

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors
M. Mohamadi 1
S. Moradkhani 2
K. Saberi 3
1 M.A. graduate of TEFL, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
2 Associate Professor of TEFL, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
3 Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
10.48311/LRR.14.1.283
Abstract
This article reports on a study examining the reasons for teachers’ codeswitching from both teachers’ and students’ perspectives. To tap into participants’ cognitions regarding this issue, data were collected from 83 EFL teachers and 160 students of English through a questionnaire developed based on the reasons reported in previous studies. An exploratory factor analysis was run to find the underlying constructs. The results eventually unveiled five factors including pedagogical delivery, limitation in resources, learner variables, establishing rapport, and compensating for low proficiency. A set of independent samples t-tests were run so as to compare teachers’ and students’ views and the results revealed statistically significant differences in all the five identified factors. Pedagogical delivery seemed to be the most acceptable reason for codeswitching since it had the highest mean score in both groups. At the same time, teachers’ and students’ mean scores regarding establishing rapport showed their very different perceptions about this justification for the teachers’ L1 use. The lowest mean scores for teachers and students were observed to be related to limitation in resources and learner variables, respectively. The findings of the present study draw attention to the teachers’ and students’ different cognitions on L1 use and the urgent need for more comparative studies in order to provide more satisfying and effective learning environments.

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Subjects

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Language Related Research
Volume 14, Issue 1 - Serial Number 73
March and April 2023
Pages 283-304