Teachers' and students' attitudes toward L1 using in EFL classrooms at Bavi High School, Hanoi = Thái độ của giáo viên và học sinh đối với việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ đầu tiên trong các lớp học tiếng Anh tại trường THPT Ba Vì, Hà Nội. M.A. Thesis Linguistics: 60 14 10

Abstract

Drawing upon the literature on the history of language teaching methods focusing on L1 use in FL teaching, the arguments about L1 using in the FL classroom, and recent studies of the issue, this study investigated the attitudes of teachers and students toward using Vietnamese in EFL classrooms. It also clarified their reasons for using and avoiding Vietnamese and defined the situations in which teachers and students prefer to use Vietnamese in their English classes. 13 teachers and 100 students of English from BaVi high school participated in the study. Three research instruments were used for gathering data: questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. The result of the study revealed that majority of teachers and students showed their positive attitudes toward using Vietnamese in their English classes. Teachers and students prefer to use Vietnamese in some situations: explaining complex grammar structures, giving the meaning of new words, and clarifying difficult, abstract ideas because they found its roles in facilitating English students’ comprehension and building a comfortable and motivating environment. The findings of the research will explore the new ways about the use of L1 in EFL classroom in general, and use of Vietnamese in an English classroom in particular. As a result, there is a need to conduct experimental studies in order to evaluate the actual role of Vietnamese in EFL classroom, thus making important contribution to the development of a systematic way of using Vietnamese for effective English language teaching and learning.