The Role of the Mother Tongue in the Language Classroom

This research is to provide theoretical basis for first language use in the language classroom, as well as to find out the views of teachers and students on its use via questionnaires, interviews and a focus group. Contrary to previous research in this field, which has shown that both teachers and students feel the need to use their first language, this study has revealed that generally it is mostly teachers who think positively about mother tongue use in the classroom, while students who have taken part in this research tend to believe that target language exposure and practice are the most important elements in language learning.

Autorentext

I have been fascinated by the role of the mother tongue in language learning since my BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Tartu, Estonia. However, this research was done only during my MA program in Applied Linguistics at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. I hope this book will generate some more research on this issue.