Turkish primary school teachers' beliefs about the use of L1 in L2 classes

Tekin, Serdar (2017) Turkish primary school teachers' beliefs about the use of L1 in L2 classes. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)]

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Abstract

This study investigates Turkish primary school teachers’ beliefs about first language (L1) use in foreign language (TL/L2) classes, its actual use and differences/similarities between the two. It also examines the determinant factors in teachers’ employment of L1/TL. The main rationale of this inquiry is the rarity of research at this level (Salı, 2014) and the necessity for more studies on this issue in Turkey (Solhi and Büyükyazı, 2011). In this respect, for the purpose of contributing to the related body of literature, this study employs a mixed method approach, utilising questionnaires with fifty teacher-participants and follow-up interviews to four teachers in a sequential route. The findings confirm Levine’s (2003) ‘sanctioned use of L1’, revealing that teachers are mostly in favour of using L1 for academic purposes rather than for social or class management purposes, which echoes the findings herein on their actual use. Furthermore, they resort to L1 mainly for instant comprehension, placing students at the heart of their decision-making process for L1/TL use. In general, teachers employ L1 more than they believe as ideal; however, interestingly, state school teachers revert to L1 far more than private school teachers. The study concludes that recourse to L1 is also affected by different classroom variables which are unique to each context. Although the findings cannot be generalized to wider contexts, this study should have the potential to shed light on this under-researched aspect of L1 use in the Turkish context and to provide positive implications for both foreign language curriculum makers and language teachers working at primary level.

Item Type: Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Depositing User: Gigg, Diane
Date Deposited: 07 Mar 2018 16:39
Last Modified: 13 Mar 2018 10:02
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/50312

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