A literature review on using the first language in a second or foreign language classroom

 Journal of Science Ho Chi Minh City Open University – No. 3(15) 2015 – August/2015 95 
A LITERATURE REVIEW ON USING THE FIRST LANGUAGE 
IN A SECOND OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM 
Trinh Thai Van Phuc 
Ho Chi Minh City Open University 
Email: phuc.ttv@ou.edu.vn 
(Received: 06 /06 /2015; Revised: 23/07 /2015; Accepted: 14 /08 /2015) 
ABSTRACT 
The paper seeks to review on the use of a first language or a mother tongue (L1) in a 
second or foreign language (L2) classroom. The report examines permissible frequencies, 
practical purposes and influential factors of the L1 employment in the L2 classrooms. The 
findings provide that (i) there are mixed results of L1 use among novice and experienced 
teachers or low-level and high-level students and among different language teaching approaches 
followed by (ii) three main categorized reasons facilitating the role of L1. The review further 
suggests strong factors influencing the use of L1, namely task types, proficiency levels, teaching 
experience, timetabling, pedagogical tools, learning strategies, teachers’ beliefs and learners’ 
perceptions. The review closes with conclusion and classroom implications. 
Keywords: first language (L1), second/ foreign language (L2), the use of L1. 
1. Introduction 
Employing the first language (L1) in a 
second language (L2) classroom has recently 
sparked off considerable debate (Klapper, 
2006) and proposed opposing positions 
(White & Storch, 2012) in L2 language 
learning and teaching. On the one hand, the 
L2 learning is actively facilitated by the use of 
L1 (Levine, 2003; Jingxia, 2010) and (2) L2 
teaching-and-learning process is positively 
influenced (Iqbal, 2011). Additionally, (3) 
students’ communication problems can be 
handled significantly by employing the L1 in 
a L2 classroom (Moghadam, Samad, & 
Shahraki, 2012; Jamshidi & Navehebrahim, 
2013). Besides, Cenoz & Gorter (2011) assert 
that students’ sense of identiy can be strongly 
fostered by utilizing the mother tongue since 
the native language is inevitably the 
“language of thought” (Macaro, 2005, p. 68). 
Indeed, the dominated viewpoints of anti-L1 
attitudes for several decades have been 
challenged by recent attention to the role of 
L1 and of normal process of multilingual 
functioning (Scott & Fuente, 2008). 
Generally, the use of L1 is advocated in light 
of some facilitative roles in the process of the 
second language learning and teaching and of 
inevitable occurrence among the language 
teachers who share the same L1 with the 
learners. 
On the other hand, (i) L1 interferences 
should be avoided in an L2 classroom by 
advocating a policy of the only-and-sole target 
language use so that a pure target language 
exposure can be available to learners 
(Lightbown, 2001; Chaudron, 1988; Ellis, 
1984). In the same vein, Lee (2013) and 
MacDonald (1993) echoes that (ii) students’ 
deprivation to opportunities of receiving and 
producing the target language can be caused 
by not supporting the only L2 policy. 
96 A Literature Review On Using The First LanguageIn A Second Or Foreign... 
Additionally, Nation (2003) cautions that (iii) 
students’ motivation can be reduced if 
overusing the L1, and L2 should be 
maximized as much as possible in a 
classroom. Furthermore, Ellis (2008) warns 
that (iv) the overuse of the L1 should be 
admonished because students have a 
classroom context as their only place to be 
immersed in the L2. In general, the L2-only 
policy has strongly been promoted on account 
of the valuable opportunities of pure L2 
exposure and students’ motivation 
enhancement. 
Currently, English is regarded as an 
official foreign language in Vietnam and is 
supposed to be fully used and instructed in all 
EFL classrooms although none of official 
documents are released to regulate the 
frequency of Vietnamese use in the EFL 
classrooms. As a consequence, the rationale of 
employing L1 in EFL classrooms mainly 
relies on teachers’ beliefs and practices. 
Personally, as a teacher of English language, I 
sometimes feel guilty that the use of 
Vietnamese (L1) makes students lack of the 
English language (L2) exposure. Even more, 
they seem to undervalue the opportunities of 
using the L2 when required because of the 
habit of overusing the L1. For some other 
times, the use of L1 can save my times of 
instructions for other classroom activities 
because of our few weekly classroom 
meetings. Besides, while L2-only policy is 
given in my classroom, it gives my students a 
burden on communicating and intermingling 
in complex activities and understanding 
clearly what they are required to do. This 
investigation practically sheds light on my 
understanding about some advantages and 
disadvantages of using the L1 in my EFL 
classrooms. 
The paper consequently and 
subsequently seeks to review on the 
frequencies, purposes, and influential factors 
for employing the L1 in an L2 classroom. In 
doing so, the review begins with the 
frequencies of L1 utilization in which mixed 
findings and different approaches with 
different L1 use frequencies are mainly 
presented. Next, the three main categories of 
purposes of L1 utilization are illustrated 
before influential factors including teachers 
and learners’ beliefs are provided. The 
reasons for monolingual approach advocating 
the L2-only policy will be reported then. The 
review closes with classroom implications and 
conclusion. 
2. Literature Review 
Frequencies of L1 Use 
The findings from various studies 
related to the frequency of L1 use are quite 
mixed. For instance, Macaro (2001) and 
Guthrie (1987) show a low level (under 20 per 
cent) of teachers’ first language use during 
class time while Edstrom (2006), Kim & 
Elder (2005), Rolin-Ianziti & Brownlie (2002) 
and Duff & Polio (1990) highlight great 
variations among teachers’ use of the first 
lang ... angeune, 
2009). Third, Sharma (2006) confirms that 
students will learn to internalize, to think and 
to use the L2 if they are exposed much to the 
L2 input. Forth, Nation (2003) warns that 
overusing the L1 probably demotivates 
students to use the L2. Fifth, the use of L1 can 
have a negative transfer to the second 
language learning (Anh, 2010; Osswald, 
2010). Sixth, the use of L1 can challenge the 
teachers’ viability of their teaching methods 
and their responsibilities to improve students’ 
target language (Carless, 2008). Another 
reason disapproving the L1 use is that the L1 
is often used inconsistently and randomly 
(Bruhlmann, 2012). One more important 
feature advocating the monolingual approach 
is the importance of having native L2 
speakers in L2 classroom since they are ‘the 
best embodiment of the target and norm for 
learners’ (Phillipson, 1992, p. 194 as cited in 
Anh, 2010). This philosophy has deeply 
influenced the mindset of a large numbers of 
learners, policy makers, parents, and training 
institutions (Osswald, 2010). In fact, having 
opportunities to learn with native speakers of 
the target language can help learners’ 
language learning experience considerably. In 
brief, L2-only policy has its own advantages 
in language learning process and positively 
influences mindsets of a great number of 
language learners, policy makers, and 
language centers/ institutions. 
Personally and currently, it is seemingly 
inevitable for the employment of the L1 in my 
L2 classroom with a frequency rate from ten 
to twenty per cent probably because we share 
the same L1. Among the categorized reasons, 
the purpose of my L1 utilization mainly for 
pedagogical and affective issues in which 
classroom management, abstract word 
translation, and close rapport mainly cause the 
use of my Vietnamese. Besides, it seems to 
me that my L1 employment depends on task 
types and the students’ level of proficiency in 
which grammar and low-level proficiency 
students lead to my decision of using the L1 
to save time for other activities, to clear up 
misunderstandings and to avoid ambiguity in 
the classroom. 
In addition to the employment of the L1 
by the teacher, from my observation, the use 
of Vietnamese by students definitely occurs as 
a learning strategy and a cognitive tool during 
the speaking task in which background 
knowledge and topic ideas are activated, 
discussed and negotiated before they present 
to their classmates even when the L1 use is 
being banned outright. In writing tasks, it is 
probable that the students utilize the L1 to 
 Journal of Science Ho Chi Minh City Open University – No. 3(15) 2015 – August/2015 101 
brainstorm their ideas before actual writing as 
well. It is probably presumable that the only 
reason for their Vietnamese use in an English 
classroom is that they take the available assets 
of the share-L1 community for granted. This 
review has significantly shed brighter light on 
my personal issues and provided me with the 
following concluding remarks. 
3. Concluding remarks 
Like two sides of a coin, using the L1 in 
the L2 classroom has its advantages and 
disadvantages as well as contains 
contradictions and complexities (Copland & 
Neokleous, 2011). A review has shown a 
mixed finding in the frequency of the L1 use 
and suggested considerable variations of the 
L1 frequency differently used among the 
classroom contexts and circumstances. 
However, the use of L1 should be carefully 
and consistently employed so that it is 
positively beneficial for the L2 learning. 
Another important implication from the 
purposes of L1 use is that it is used 
productively for cognitive enhancement, 
pedagogical tools and close rapport 
establishment among teachers and students. 
Consequently, L1 should not be prohibited 
outright; but it should be consciously used 
with understanding and based on pedagogical 
decisions. Indeed, there are two beneficial 
pedagogical strategies encouraging the 
production of target language presented by 
Carless (2008), namely language monitor and 
incentives. 
Since there have been contradictory 
perceptions and beliefs on the L1 use among 
teachers and students, there is a necessity of a 
clearer institutional policy on the inclusive use 
of L1. By doing this, teachers are seemingly 
able to measure their perceptions of L1 
inclusion compared with the institutional 
policy, to eliminate their ambiguity as well as 
to increase their efficacy. Furthermore, the 
emergent use of L1 occurring inevitably in a 
L2 classroom helps instructors, policy makers 
and language learners develop an awareness 
of natural occurrence of L1 in a classroom 
context (Moore, 2013). As a result, a method 
possibly optimizing the benefit of L1 and 
providing a framework of appropriate time of 
L1 use in the L2 classroom should be 
presented (Samar & Moradkhani, 2014). 
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