Effect of L1 Use on Students’ Essay Writing Performance (EWP) in English Language Classroom

Markos Medhin, Nuru Mohammed

Abstract


This study examined the effects of first language (L1) use on students’ EWP in an English language (L2) classroom. Utilizing an experimental design, data was collected through pretests, posttests, and interviews. The participants were second-year undergraduate students majoring in Dawro Doonaa and enrolled in a Sophomore English course. Originally, all sixty-eight students were in one section, divided into two sections for this study. To establish similar baseline levels, a pretest was administered, and students were grouped based on their scores. Their EWP was evaluated through a posttest, and interviews with two instructors provided insights into their views on L1 use in student’s writing. The data analyzed with a t-test in SPSS version 26 showed that students who were allowed to use their L1 in the English classroom performed significantly better than those in an English-only setting. Thus, it is suggested that L2 teachers in bilingual environments should consider a strategic and optimal use of students’ L1.

Keywords


classroom language; essay writing; L1 use; writing performance

Full Text:

PDF

References


Auerbach, E. R. (1993). Reexamining English-only in the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 27(1), 9-32. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586949

Bakhtiari, Z. (2014). Code-switching and learning general knowledge of vocabulary in the Iranian university context. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 2(2), 68-73.

Cumming, A. (2001). Learning to write in a second language: Two decades of research. International Journal of English Studies, 1(2), 1-23.

Cummins, J. (2007). Rethinking monolingual instructional strategies in multilingual classrooms. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(2), 221-240.

Dougherty, B. (1985) Composing choices for writes: A cross-disciplinary rhetoric. McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Harbord, J. (1992). The use of the mother tongue in the classroom. ELT Journal, 46(4), 350-355. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/46.4.350

Hyland, K. (2002). Teaching and researching writing. Longman.

Hyland, K. (2019). Second language writing (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon.

Kroll, B. (1991). Second language writing: Research insights for the classroom. Cambridge University Press.

Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford University Press.

Lee, H. (2010). The differential effects of teacher code-switching on the vocabulary acquisition of adult and young EFL learners: A study in the Korean context [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford]. Oxford University Research Archieve. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7cce31e4-60f9-4998-95c1-4fa7cef5ad0b

Macaro, E. (1997). Target language, collaborative learning and autonomy. Multilingual Matters.

Macaro, E. (2001). Analysing student teachers’ code-switching in foreign language classrooms: Theories and methods. The Modern Language Journal, 85(4), 531-548. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00124

Macaro, E. (2005). Codeswitching in the L2 classroom: A communication and learning strategy. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teachers (pp. 63-84). Springer.

Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159-1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581

Nation, I. S. P. (2003). The role of the first language in foreign language learning. Asian EFL Journal, 5(2), 1-8.

Odlin, T. (1989). Language transfer: Cross-linguistic influence in language learning. Cambridge University Press.

Ose Askvik, E., van der Weel, F. R., & van der Meer, A. L. H. (2020). The importance of cursive handwriting over typewriting for learning in the classroom: A high-density eeg study of 12-year-old children and young adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1810. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01810

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Smolak, E., de Anda, S., Enriquez, B., Poulin-Dubois, D., & Friend, M. (2020). Code-switching in young bilingual toddlers: A longitudinal, cross-language investigation. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 23(3), 500–518. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728919000257

Spice, A. K. (2018). The effects of code-mixing on second language development. Channels: Where Disciplines Meet, 3(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.15385/jch.2018.3.1.1

Storch, N., & Wigglesworth, G. (2003). Is there a role for the use of the L1 in an L2 setting? TESOL Quarterly, 37(4), 760-770. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588224

Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (2000). Task-based second language learning: The uses of the first language. Language Teaching Research, 4(3), 251-274. https://doi.org/10.1177/136216880000400304

Teklesellassie, Y., & Boersma, E. (2018). Attitudes towards the use of Amharic in English-Medium Content Subject Classrooms. PASAA, 55(1), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.55.1.3

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Weigle, S. C. (2002). Assessing writing. Cambridge University Press.

Wells, G. (1999). Dialogic inquiry: Towards a sociocultural practice and theory of education. Cambridge University Press.

Woodall, B. R. (2002). Language-switching: Using the first language while writing in a second language. Journal of Second Language Writing, 11(1), 7-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(01)00051-0

Zamel, V. (1987). Writing: The process of discovering meaning. TESOL Quarterly, 21(2), 195-209. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586792

Zeleke, A. (2013). Training in the learning strategies of writing: Its effects on students’ writing skills [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Addis Ababa University.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.24815/eej.v15i3.40748

Article Metrics

Abstract view : 0 times
PDF - 0 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

P-ISSN: 2085-3750

E-ISSN: 3025-9789 

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.