Using L1 in the foreign language classroom : a case study in North Lebanon

النوع : Mémoire

This study focuses on discovering an approximate percentage of how much Arabic is actually being used in a north Lebanon school in some English language classrooms (English as a first foreign language), by both teachers and students. The two instruments that were used when conducting this study were observation notes and interview responses. Three classrooms were observed three times each. Results indicated that the L1 (Arabic) was being used in all classrooms by students but to varying degrees. As for the teachers, there was also a variety in the results, ranging from no Arabic usage to some Arabic usage. Results of this study indicated some similarity in categories for the functions that the L1 was used for in comparison to previous research. However, some new categories and themes also emerged. An example of these similarities was the use of the L1 in order to clarify some vocabulary terms. This technique was used by both students and teachers. A recommendation for further study would be to study this issue in comparison to other schools in north Lebanon on a larger scale.