The Effects of L1 Overuse in L2 Learning: Evidence From Three Case Studies

Abstract

Foreign language teaching based on the mother tongue has been the traditional vehicle of instruction in Russian classrooms from the primary to high school levels, at language schools as well in teacher-formation at pedagogical institutes as is evidenced by the results of information obtained through interviews to teachers, observation of the students' in-class behavior and revision of textbooks produced by national authors. Grounded on data (transcripts, essays, and real class examples) gathered during five years, the paper examines the effects of excessive mother tongue use in foreign language classrooms in Ekaterinburg, Russia. The three case studies as well as other classroom instances reported and discussed here illustrate how previous educational experiences have modeled the students´ learning style to such extent that limited progress in communicative skills in English and Spanish is achieved due to their constant reference to the Russian language system, despite having had enough controlled practice and performed well in the controlled application stages of the learning process. As a result, this varied in its manifestations perceived need on the part of the student to recur to Russian to communicate in the L2 originates time-consuming psycholinguistic processes that affect accurate and fluent language production. The paper also advances ideas on how to counteract this problem in class as well as the areas that require more attention on the part of the teacher. The study concludes that though the more than a century-old teaching dilemma concerning the role of the L1 in L2 foreign language pedagogy is still far from been resolved; one thing, however, is clear: excessive translation from and to the native language hampers greatly the outcomes of the instructional process.

Teachers’ Perspectives on the Role of L1 in Jordanian EFL Classes

“…One of the issues complicating discussions about L1 use in the L2 classroom is the acceptable amount of L1 in the L2 classroom, or L1 "overuse" (Fernández, 2015) versus "judicious use" (Lo, 2015). Turnbull (2001), for example, proposed that teachers who use the L2 for less than 25% of class time may be relying too heavily on the L1 and depriving their students of valuable L2 input.…”

“…All in all, the abovementioned studies reinforce that L2 teachers vary a lot in their L1 usage and that sometimes their reported and actual usage differ. Still, a common understanding across the studies is that unnecessary or excessive L1 use that hampers L2 development can be considered L1 overuse, while purposeful L1 use that aligns with L2 learning objectives can be considered judicious or selective use (Fernández, 2015;Lo, 2015;Macaro, 2005;Turnbull, 2001).…”

“…The primary "danger" is L1 overuse in the L2 classroom may negatively influence the L2 learning process by depriving students of L2 input (Turnbull, 2001). Studies (Atkinson, 1987;Fernández, 2015;Rolin-Ianziti & Varshney, 2008) have examined the ramifications of L1 overuse in the L2 classroom. Atkinson (1987), for example, argued that L1 overuse can cause students to become dependent on their L1 and as a result not reach a full understanding of aspects of the target language without translation.…”

L2 Learners’ Perceptions of Using L1 in EFL Classrooms

“…In some studies, negative or hindering effects of overuse of L1 were prevailed by minimizing learners' exposure to L2 (Almoayidi, 2018;Fernandez, 2015;Khati, 2011, p. 48). To this end, Littlewood and Yu (2011) focused on the ways of maximizing the use of target language in EFL classrooms without downsizing the use of L1 for developing foreign language learning (p. 73).…”

Polylingualism in Monolingual Yekaterinburg, a 2018 World Football Cup City

“…However, it should be pointed out that research [1], [2], [3], [4] has shown that classroom communication, the excessive use of the mother tongue, and error correction in addition to the challenges posed by new learning environments call for a change of mentality and practices in FLE practitioners and learners. These conditions imposed by, for instance, the advent of IT, the presence of the multiple language repertoires performed in international classrooms at the universities, and the resulting multicultural contact in and outside campus [5] demand proactive language policies in which not only the educational environment but also the city as whole is considered.…”