Attitudes of non-english majors toward L1 use in L2 classrooms in a Mekong Delta University

Abstract

Using students’ mother tongue (L1) in foreign language (L2) classes has been a controversial topic in the field of teaching and learning languages. Therefore, this study aims to explore Vietnamese students’ attitudes towards using L1 in their L2 classrooms to enhance pedagogical effectiveness in this area. The focus of this study is the attitudes of non-English-major students at a university in the Mekong Delta. Using a mixed-method design, 84 non-English majors expressed their attitudes through a structured questionnaire. 100% of the participants agreed that L1 should be used in L2 classrooms.  They also stated that using L1 in L2 classrooms can improve comprehension of complex ideas and increase learners’ comfort during the learning process. There was widespread agreement that L1 should be used in conversations between teachers and students, as well as among classmates, especially for explanation-oriented tasks. Meanwhile, only some students thought that the usage of L1 may restrict their exposure to L2, impede their capacity to think in L2, or discourage them from speaking L2. Finally, pedagogical implications for the strategic and balanced use of L1 are discussed.