Teachers and Learners’ Attitudes Towards Using First Language in EFL Classroom: Case of Second Year Pupils at El Oued Djilali Secondary school.

Abstract

The present work aims at shading light on the attitudes of both teachers and students towards the use of Arabic in the English classroom. Therefore, it investigates the situations where teachers may switch and allow the use of Arabic. This research also attempts to explore whether the mother tongue has any positive effects on the English classroom. A case study research was conducted in El Oued Djilali secondary school relying on a number of research instruments for data collection: questionnaire for learners and a semi-structured interview with teachers. The data collected were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results revealed that secondary school students and their teachers of English have positive attitudes towards the use of Arabic in the English language sessions. It helps them understand better when they face any difficulties and through the use of mother tongue teachers may give brief explanations and facilitate the management of learning and teaching. On the other hand, this study reveals that the use of Arabic helps students to overcome anxiety and be more self-confident. At the end, some recommendations were presented to better use and integrate the mother tongue in the EFL context.