Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi (Sep 2020)
Students’ Use of L1 in Response to Referential Questions in Tertiary English Classes
Abstract
Teacher questions play a significant role in English classrooms since they trigger interaction and promote oral production. Among teacher questions, referential questions that seek information not known by the teacher and are asked to elicit students’ personal data, feelings, and ideas are particularly important because they require self-expression, in-depth thinking and complex use of language. It is likely for students in English classrooms to use L1 in response to referential questions due to the sophisticated responses they require and other factors such as lack of proficiency and/or motivation, yet the issue has not yet been investigated. This study aims to analyse English teachers’ descriptions and views about the students’ use of L1 in response to referential questions. Thirty-one instructors teaching at the tertiary level in Turkey participated in the study. The data were collected via open-ended questionnaires, focus group interviews, and teacher journals, and analysed via thematic analysis. The findings display the participants’ descriptions of the contexts of students’ L1 use in response to referential questions, their views on the reasons for the use of L1 and their attitudes about the issue. The study, as the first of its kind, has noteworthy conclusions and implications for English language teaching contexts.
