Student perspectives

In this section, findings are presented of the six learners’ semi-structured interviews. The data provided insights into what the student participants thought of using the Arabic language in their EFL classrooms in Oman. Almost all of the student interviewees agreed upon the idea of using the Arabic language in their English classrooms for various purposes. Specifically, the data revealed that the Arabic language served students in terms of five different main functions and themes. For example, student participants stressed the importance of Arabic language in learning some grammatical aspects and new vocabularies. Other students also pointed out that the Arabic language was important in teaching English language structure and clarifying instructions related to tests. Student participants further highlighted that Arabic was helpful in translation, doing group work activities, and sometimes to discuss personal issues with teachers and classmates.

Regarding the student participants’ perspectives of using Arabic in EFL classrooms, they declared that they used the Arabic language in EFL classroom practices to explain new words, explain grammatical points, check for understanding, and for translation. Thus, the findings show that the majority of learners agreed on the idea of Arabic language inclusion in EFL classrooms, as it assisted with four main functions:

 learning grammar and vocabularies;  clarifying instructions;

 discussion in group work activities; and  speaking about personal issues.

Interestingly, S1 and S6 claimed that they used the Arabic language in the EFL classroom because their teachers used it. This aligns with the teacher participants, who stated that they used Arabic as a teaching tool, including for teaching grammar and vocabularies. As S1 said:

“I think I can use Arabic because my teacher uses it too especially in grammar teaching, why I should not” (S1).

These results are in line with some previous studies in which participants preferred to use their mother tongue in EFL classrooms. For example, in Kovacic and Kirinic (2011), more than half of the participants agreed that they sometimes preferred to make use of their first language in English classrooms. Other researchers have also reported that students could benefit from their language and believed it could assist their English learning (Tang, 2002; Hall & Cook, 2012). Interestingly, some of these data seemed to be similar to those of the interviewed EFL teachers (see Chapter 4.4.2.1). The learners’ perceptions themes are shown in Table 4.39 below.

Table 4.39 Arabic language usage from students’ perspectives

Students

 Learn grammar and vocabularies  Clarify instructions

 Discuss group work activities  Speak about personal issues

4.3.2.3.1.1 Learning grammar and vocabularies

All the interviewed learners indicated that they needed the Arabic language to learn English aspects and grammar. However, students’ lack of proper English vocabulary knowledge may push them to shift to the Arabic language in some cases to elaborate their ideas. For example, S1 said:

“Sometimes I have many good ideas in my mind, but I do not have suitable vocabularies to say them in English, in this case, I think I can use my language (Arabic) to express my ideas” (S1).

Additionally, according to S6,

“The Arabic language could be used whenever there is a new word or concept” (S6). Similarly, S3 said:

“It is vital to shift to Arabic particularly when teaching grammar points” (S3).

These findings are in agreement with Al-Nofaie’s (2010) study who reported that using the learners’ first language was useful when describing new vocabularies and clarifying some grammatical points.

4.3.2.3.1.2 Clarifying instructions

Regarding clarifying instructions, student participants described the Arabic language as a learning tool that could help them to understand different language components and specifically to comprehend aspects related to classroom instructions. However, S1 and S2 elaborated more reasons for Arabic including in EFL classrooms. For instance, S1 said:

“English teachers should use Arabic because not all students could understand their instructions if only English is used” (S1).

Similarly, S2 affirmed:

“Sometimes I could not understand some instructions if English only used, I feel frustrated and passive because I do not know what I should do or what my teacher asks for” (S2). Furthermore, S6 added:

“I need Arabic to make sure that I know what teacher asks me to do the homework”(S6), while S5 said: “I need to use Arabic to understand the topics in writing tasks, without understanding the topic or title how can I write about it” (S5). 4.3.2.3.1.3 Discussing group work activities

The student participants also described the Arabic language as a valued tool that helps them to understand group work activities. All the interviewed students claimed that they used the Arabic language when they were doing group or pair-work tasks. For example, S2 said:

“For me, it is a habit to speak in Arabic while doing any pair works, Arabic is very useful to understand the tasks” (S2).

Similarly, S1 added:

“My friends and I prefer to chat in Arabic whenever there is a chance, especially if we are doing group work” (S1).

“Although our teacher keeps asking us to speak English, most of the time we use Arabic in group works tasks” (S6).

However, these findings match other research, such as Levine’s (2014), which has found that learners applied their first language when speaking with each other during classroom activities and when talking with each other.

4.3.2.3.1.4 Speaking about personal issues

Student participants reported that they sometimes used the Arabic language to talk to a classmate or a friend about personal issues during the lesson. For example, S2, S3, and S6 responded that they tended to use Arabic to speak to classmates about weekend events or occasions. As S2 said:

“I use Arabic with my classmates mostly to talk about our football game this afternoon” (S2).

S3 added:

“If I finished my task, I think it is fine to use Arabic to talk to next classmate about anything” (S3).

Similarly, S6 said:

“Sometimes my friends use Arabic and ask me any questions related to our weekends, events or occasions, and I replied in Arabic to” (S6).

4.3.2.3.1.5 Translation

According to Nation (2003), translation is an effective teaching method and necessary where learners translate L2 words into their first language equivalents, especially at a low level. However, as reported by the interviewed teachers, many students, instead of trying to look for suitable English alternatives, tend to switch to the Arabic language as the easiest way to understand the text. S3 articulated that as follows: “Actually, I prefer the teacher who tries to translate some words in Arabic for us especially, for example, in writing when we do not understand the topic so how can we write. Therefore, it is essential for me first to understand the topic in Arabic, and then I can write in English” (S3).

Similarly, S5 said that Arabic translation helps her to understand some difficult English words:

“Some English words are so difficult to be understood and used, I think the teacher should translate them first into Arabic” (S5).

These findings are in an agreement with a previous study done by Hsieh (2000), who stated that translation was valuable for student participants in relation to reading tasks, and for learning new vocabulary items and cultural aspects.

4.4 Chapter summary

Chapter four has reported on the results of this study gathered through the research data tools. It has presented the participants’ questionnaire, classroom observation and semi- structured interview results, which provided the perceptions of EFL teachers and learners towards Arabic language usage in (L2) classrooms. Furthermore, this chapter examined and deliberated particular excerpts from the classroom of teachers’ and learners’ translations under their particular themes, to be able to identify a range of functions of using Arabic (L1) by both teachers and learners. Next, the perspectives of EFL teachers and learners, as exposed in the classroom observations and interviews, have been presented to uncover their perspectives towards L1 use in EFL classrooms.

The analysis revealed that both teachers and learners involved in this study shared positive perspectives towards using Arabic in EFL classrooms. The Arabic language was found to play a significant part as a mediating instrument that facilitates the English language teaching and learning process, and as a scaffolding instrument that enhances learners to expand their L2 learning. Teacher participants agreed that Arabic was very important to consider students’ English language proficiency levels in relation to the usefulness of EFL teachers’ use of Arabic (L1). For instance, teachers used the Arabic language to teach various activities such as explaining grammatical rules, introducing new vocabulary words, clarifying task instructions to facilitate understanding for learners, and classroom management. Teachers tended to talk to learners in Arabic about attendance, exams, and to raise some personal issues.

The analysis also showed that teachers used learners’ L1 for socialising functions, repetitive functions, and classroom management. It might be debated that when looking at the teachers’ L1 purposes, these purposes may directly or indirectly help achieving the pedagogical aims; from those that seems to directly serve pedagogical functions (e.g. repetitive), to most of what could be seen as social functions (e.g. greetings), as well as classroom management purposes. EFL Teachers, for example, may use Arabic for social functions to create a friendly atmosphere to gradually engage his/her learners into classroom activities.

Moreover, data revealed that the Arabic language served students in terms of different functions and themes. For example, student participants stressed the importance of Arabic language in learning some grammatical aspects and new vocabularies. Some other students also pointed out that the Arabic language was significant in teaching English language structure and clarifying instructions related to tests. Student participants further highlighted that Arabic was helpful in translation, doing group work activities, and sometimes to discuss personal issues with teachers and classmates.

However, the purposes of teachers’ and learners’ L1 use is not necessary to be similar. Learners used Arabic for linguistic diffidence, collaborative functions, asking for confirmation or help, and socialising tasks. Learners in Oman context should preferably have studied English for more than 12 years before university level, many of them still could not use the L2 properly, and this may play a role in their greater use of Arabic in L2 classes. This supports what has been recommended in the literature review, as there seems to be a correlation between learners’ proficiency in L2 and the type and amount of L1 being used. Therefore, it can be said that learners in a context where they and their teachers share the same L1, might be an expected setting where the translation is common among learners.

The next chapter contains a summary of the results, restrictions, suggestions, recommendations and contributions of this study.