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STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD TEACHER’S L1
USE IN GRAMMAR CLASS
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Yashinta Yuny Tama
112015102
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA
SALATIGA
2019
i
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD TEACHER’S L1
USE IN GRAMMAR CLASS
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Yashinta Yuny Tama
112015102
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA
SALATIGA
2019
ii
iii
iv
v
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in any
course or accepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any university. To the
best of my knowledge and belief, this contains no material previously published or
written by any other person except where due reference is made in the text.
Copyright @2019: Yashinta Yuny Tama and Dr. Elisabet Titik Murtisari, M. TransStud
All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without the
prior written permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English
Department of Universitas Kristen SatyaWacana, Salatiga.
Yashinta Yuny Tama.
vi
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Inside Cover Page..................................................................................................... i
Pernyataan Tidak Plagiat ......................................................................................... ii
Pernyataan Persetujuan Akses ................................................................................ iii
Publication Agreement Declaration ....................................................................... iv
Copyright Statement ............................................................................................... v
Approval Page ......................................................................................................... vi
Table of Contents ................................................................................................... vii
List of Tables ........................................................................................................ ....ix
Abstract ................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1
REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................................. 3
The Definition of Perception ............................................................................... 3
Teaching Grammar .............................................................................................. 4
L1 Use in EFL Setting ......................................................................................... 5
Opposing The Use of First Language ......................................................... 5
Supporting The Use of First Language ....................................................... 6
Previous Studies .................................................................................................. 7
THE STUDY ........................................................................................................ ..8
Context of the Study .......................................................................................... ..8
Participants of the Study .................................................................................... ..9
Data Collection Method..................................................................................... ..9
Data Collection Procedure ................................................................................. ..10
Data Analysis Procedure ................................................................................... ..10
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................ ..11
Language Preference ......................................................................................... ..11
Teacher’s Intructional Talk ............................................................................... ..12
Teacher’s Management Talk ............................................................................. ..15
viii
Impact of Using L1 .......................................................................................... ..16
Motivation ......................................................................................................... 17
Time-saving ....................................................................................................... 18
CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 19
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. 21
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 22
APPENDICE ......................................................................................................... 25
ix
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Language Preference ...................................................................................... 11
Table 2. Teacher’s Intructional Talk ............................................................................ 12
Table 3. Teacher’s Management Talk ........................................................................... 15
Table 4. Impact of using L1 ........................................................................................... 16
Table 5. Motivation ....................................................................................................... 17
Table 6. Time-saving ..................................................................................................... 18
1
ABSTRACT
In the discussion of the EFL setting, one ongoing controversial issue which has been
ongoing is whether L1 is required and useful or not in the EFL classroom. Many studies’
opinions were used by researchers to know the perception of students toward the use of L1 in
L2 class. Some of them believe that L1 is useful and effective and some of them believe that
L1 can be a boomerang for the students. This study aims to analyze students’ perception of
their teacher’s L1 use in grammar class. There is one research question discussed in this study
“What are the students’ perception toward the teacher’s L1 use in grammar class?” The
participants in this study were the students in the English Language Education Program of the
Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga who have taken
the Intermediate grammar course. Quantitative method was used in the study by giving the
participants a questionnaire for the data collection in this study. The results of this research
showed that the participants were agreed for the use of L1 in the grammar class. L1 use can
afford their needs in learning L2 because L1 can give them an easy way to learn L2 grammar
in the classroom. Nevertheless, it is not recommended when the use of L1 is more often than
L2 use in grammar classroom.
Keywords: First Language / L1, Perception, Grammar.
Introduction
Every teacher has their own ways and choices with their medium of instruction when
teaching English, especially in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Some
teachers might use full of Second Language (L2) in the classroom, while other teachers
would prefer to include the use of the First language (L1) during the explanation of the
material or even giving the instruction in the class.
Some experts believe that the use of L2 to teach the Target Language in the classroom
is the best way of learning and teaching the target language (Howatt 1984; Richards &
Rodgers, 2001). The use of L2 in the classroom can maximize the learners’ exposure to the
target language. Allwright (1979) as cited in Harmer (2007), also claims that the best way to
learn a language is by using the language itself or by applying the L2 in the classroom
2
through communication. In other words, to maximize the target language the students can
practice the language itself in the classroom.
On the other hand, some researchers pointed out that the maximum use of L2 in the
classroom especially in the EFL context and less exposure to L1 may obstruct the students’
L2 learning process (Krashen, 1981; Cook, 2001; Butzkamm & Caldwell, 2009; Demir,
2012). In other words, the use of L1 is highly useful and beneficial for teaching and learning
English in the EFL setting. Also, many scholars are against the idea of elimination of L1 in
the L2 classroom. Harmer (2001) stated that the overuse of L1 can limit the students’
knowledge in learning the target language. Similar to Harmer’s statement, Krashen (2003)
also proposed that the best way for students to learn the target language is by using the target
language as much as possible with minimum L1 interference. Therefore, well-planned use of
L1 can be a positive outcome for the learners in learning L2 (Nation, 2003).
Usually, some teachers use L1 in the classroom to explain the meaning of the words
when the students do not understand while the teachers explain in L2, even for explaining the
grammar structure. In the previous research, Sharma (2006) conducted the use of mother
tongue in the classroom, she found that most of the teachers implement the use of L1 to
explain the grammar points. The teachers use L1 for their explanation in grammar class to
make sure that the students understand clearly about the grammar structures. There are many
studies about the use of L1 in the EFL setting from two different points view, either they are
supporting or opposing the use of L1 (Demir, 2012; Sharaeai, 2012) The different points of
view came up with their own opinions about the topic.
In discussions of the use of L1 in the EFL context has been ongoing debated among the
researches and scholars. Therefore, it is still unclear whether L1 can be as a tool to support
the students’ learning process or it can be as an obstacle for them. Most of the previous
studies only investigated the teacher’s perception of the use of L1 in the EFL setting.
3
Meanwhile, the students’ perception of the teacher’s L1 use is still limited. The students’
perception of teacher’s L1 use in grammar class should be investigated more. The aim of this
writing is to answer the research question: “The students’ perception toward teacher’s L1 use
in grammar class”. By conducting this research, the results are expected to help teachers in
evaluating their language use in grammar class.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The Definition of Perception
Akurugu (2010) describes perception as a conscious interpretation of any event or
object received by the senses that explain a particular action or reaction. He stated that
“knowledge of the student’s perception can lead to the teacher’s objective assessment and it
is highly useful for the teacher to determine the type of intervention measure needed to help
the students with low achievement” (p.22). In other words, by knowing the students’ opinion,
it might be an evaluation for the teacher in teaching the students. Taylor (2012) states the
definition of perception in his study entitled students’ and teachers’ perception of physical
education. He stated that perception is how people think and believe and the way that they
see and comprehend things based on their experience.
Teaching Grammar
Grammar is known as one major aspect of learning English because grammar is the
rules of the language structure to understand a language (Gelderen, 2002). Larsen-Freeman
(2009) defines that “grammar is a system of meaningful structures and patterns that are
governed by particular pragmatic constraints” (p. 521). In other words, he explained that
grammar is the arrangement of important structures that are represented by specific
requirements. Grammar is viewed as one of the core components in second language
4
acquisition for many reasons. Grammar is important for the students, especially in the EFL
context. Larsen-Freeman (2003) as cited in Rimmer (n.d.) said that grammar is important
because if we learn and understand the rule of grammar, we can utilize a language by using
the rules. Similarly, Batstone and Ellis (2009) claim that grammar is considered to be one of
the important elements in language teaching because grammar knowledge will help to
improve second language proficiency.
Studying grammar is truly important because it can help the students to become
effective language learners. Nevertheless, learning grammar is often seen as a difficult
prosses. Several researchers argue that English linguistic forms might look simple but might
be confusing since they serve different functions relying on the context (Kacani & Mangelli,
2013). Shiu (2011) stated that L2 grammar learning is incredibly complex because of various
grammatical difficulties. she maintains that “a grammar structure may be difficult to learn if
it contains unimportant communicative meaning, its use is optional, its form meaning
relationship is obscure (for example, one meaning can be expressed by multiple forms, or one
form has multiple meanings)” (p.6).
Ellis (2006) mentioned there are two issues of grammatical difficulty, it is implicit and
explicit knowledge. It refers to the difficulty that the students have in understanding a
grammatical feature and the difficulty when they internalize a grammatical feature so that
they are able to use grammar accurately in communication.
Ellis (2006) defines grammar teaching as “any instructional structure that draws
learners’ attention to some specific grammatical form incomprehension that helps them
understand and process the specific grammatical form incomprehension or production” (p.
84). Therefore, grammar teaching plays an important role to help students understand how to
use grammatical forms.
5
L1 Use in EFL Setting
Thompson (2006) stated the significance of L1 usage in FL setting has been advanced
since the late 1880's by various showing strategies and methodologies. Nowadays, there are
two contradicting perspectives regarding L1 use in the EFL settings, which come from those
who support L1 use and those who oppose L1 use in the EFL setting. Each viewpoint carries
out theories that support their opinions.
Opposing The Use of First Language
There are some reasons why some linguists oppose L1 use. Sharaeai (2012) stated that
in order for the students to acquire their second language, they need to get as much L2
exposure as possible. When the teacher includes L1 during the teaching process, L1
interference will happen. Hoff (2013) stated that the occasion of L1 can prevent L2
acquisition since the presence of L1 would mean less introduction toward L2. The more
students get their L2 knowledge the more they can use the L2 accurately and appropriately.
Sharma (2006) maintains that “[t]he more students are exposed to English, the more quickly
they will learn; as they hear and use English, they will internalize it to start to think in
English” (p. 80). In other words, if the students get used to practicing the target language,
students will get maximum L2 exposure.
Another reason comes from the relation of students’ dependence on their first language.
L1 use in the EFL context can make students reliant on it. Grammar can affect their
performance when communicating in a real-life situation as they would not even try to
comprehend the meaning from L2 context and explanation on how to use specific L2 forms
(Demir, 2012, p. 23). He argues that if the teacher continues to explain the material by using
L1, the students can lose the capacity to think in the target language. In other words, the more
6
L2 utilization, the easier for them to think L2 vocabulary and grammar in learning the target
language.
Supporting The Use of First Language
Those who support L1 use argue that the use of L1 in the EFL context will aid in the
students’ second language acquisition. They believe that the use of L1 can be as a tool for
helping the students in the classroom. Salah (2011) asserted that mostly, learners use their L1
to speak to the teacher when they are not able to express what they want to say. Besides that,
not only for student-teacher communication, L1 also helpful for student-student
communication. Anton and DiCamilla (1999) claim that L1 use is a powerful tool that can be
used for student-student interaction in order for the direction of students’ understanding in
completing the task. The essence of their argument is that L1 can be as a tool to help the
learners to more effectively complete the L2 task.
The use of L1 also can make the students have comfortable feelings when learning the
target language in the classroom. Polio and Duff (1994) claim that the use of L1 could be
helpful for creating a relaxing atmosphere in the classroom. Furthermore, L1 can develop
students’ comprehension. Atkinson (1993) stated that many learners, especially teenagers or
adults, the implementation of L1 gives them the opportunity to show that they are brilliant
and sophisticated people (p. 13).
Another reason for the use of L1 in the classroom comes from Garcia’s statement.
Garcia (2007) as cited in Hidayati (2012) stated that there are some reasons for teachers using
L1 to teach L2. First, it is because the students lack oral proficiency or confidence in using
English, students’ disability to understand spoken English, all the other important
examinations on reading, teachers need to explain difficult vocabulary or grammar, they need
to give background information to the students and they have to overcome communication
7
difficulties by expressing something in the students’ L1 which is difficult to be explained in
the target language. The last is for saving time.” Same with Garcia (2007), Pan and Pan
(2010) assert that L1 use can encourage the students in doing classroom activities because of
the use of L1 provides a beneficial scaffolding that helps learners in the understanding task
and solving their problems in learning.
Previous Studies
There are many studies about the issue of perception in the EFL context. Among them,
two studies are relatively similar to the present study. The summary of the two studies will be
presented in the paragraph below.
Demir (2012) conducted a study in the International Black Sea University (IBSU) Prep
Program, Georgia to discover whether students and teachers prefer to use L1 in the process of
the L2 grammar class. 12 teachers and 41 students were involved in his study. From the
questionnaire, he found out that 72.7% of teachers and 33.3% of students supported the
application of L1 during the presentation of new grammar and error correction. Few students
(33.3%) and a half of teachers (50%) think that the use of L1 in grammar class can decrease
EFL skills’ level. Teachers emphasized presentation, while students emphasized error
correction. What he found out from his study was that lecturers and students at IBSU
considered a reasonable application of L1 in L2 grammar classes positively. In his research,
Demir (2012) also believes that some very limited time can be and even should be dedicated
to explanations and error-correction in the native language because of student-centered
teaching, intellectually demanding nature of grammar, communicative teaching and also
time-saving and practical teaching. (p. 27).
8
Similarly, Hidayati (2012) conducted a research to investigate the benefits of the use of
L1 in Indonesian EFL classes as perceived by the teachers and the students. The participants
of her study were 6 teachers and 100 students in Telkom Polytechnique, Bandung. She
employed three methods to complete her objectives, which were observation, questionnaire,
and interviews. For the observation, she observed 6 classes of different majors in Telkom
Polytechnique. She also interviewed 6 English teachers from the six classes. Then she gives
the questionnaire with 7 questions to 100 students.
From her study, she found out that there are some benefits of L1 which is Bahasa
Indonesia in the EFL classroom as perceived by the teachers and the students. First is to
explain grammar, second is to explain difficult vocabulary items, third is to check students’
comprehension, fourth is to make jokes, fifth is to give suggestions to the students to learn
more effectively, and the last is to give complex classroom instruction. Bahasa Indonesia was
helpful in the EFL classroom when it was used judiciously. In other words, L1 can produce
the right benefits when it used appropriately. Therefore, the teachers in Telkom
Polytechnique still often use Bahasa Indonesia, especially in giving classroom instructions
than the target language.
THE STUDY
The Context of the study
Students in English Language Education Program of The Faculty Language and Arts at
Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga have to take two required grammar courses
which are Basic and Intermediate Grammar. Basic grammar is the course the students should
pass if they want to take Intermediate Grammar in the next semester. Those two courses have
the same purpose in learning grammar, they just have a different level difficulty of learning
grammar. Based on the name, Basic Grammar is a course where students learn about the very
9
basic language structure, meanwhile, Intermediate Grammar is the higher level of learning
language structure.
Participants of the Study
The participants of this study were 44 students (Batch 2018) who have taken
Intermediate Grammar courses in English Language Education Program of the Faculty of
Language and Arts, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga.
Data Collection Method
Questionnaire
This study was conducted a quantitative method by giving the students a questionnaire
that employs close-ended questions. The questionnaire has 16 statements which are required
to answer the research question: What are the students’ perception toward the teacher’s L1
use in grammar class? The questions (statements) were adapted from the previous study
Hamze (2010) and few were adapted from Rihulay (2016). The 16 questions are separated
into several classifications. There are six classifications for the questionnaire, there are;
Language preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s management talk, the impact of
using L1, motivation, and also time-saving. The statements of these six classifications are
available in the Appendice (See Appendix 1).
The students who were chosen to fill the questionnaire gave a score by putting a
checklist for each statement (question). For the students’ answer there are 5 numerical rating
scale for each statement; Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Neutral (N), Disagree (DA),
10
Strongly Disagree (SDA). The reason for using this kind of question is because it has clear
and to the point answer.
Data Collection Procedure
For the data collection, I have prepared some statements that related to my title to put
into my questionnaire. I made sure that the questionnaire was clear and understandable by
piloting the questionnaire to a few students from English Literature program before
distributed the questionnaire to the participants in order to make them could fill the
questionnaire appropriately without the confusion. Then, I asked for a permission letter to
distribute the questionnaire in 2 intermediate grammar classes. Next, after I have collected
the data from the students, I classified their answers and analyzed the data by the theme that
emerges in the questionnaire section.
Data Analysis Procedure
Each statement from the questionnaire was to see the students’ perception of the
specific use of teachers’ L1 in the grammar class. The responses of each item were counted
and converted into percentage diagram for a clear explanation. The results were analyzed
based on the categories: (Language preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s
management talk, the impact of using L1, motivation, and also time-saving) to see the
student’s perception in different aspects. Each respondent’s answers in the questionnaire have
the score, strongly agree = 5, agree = 4, neutral = 3, disagree = 2, strongly disagree = 1.
11
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
The data analysis identified six themes relevant to the research question: “What are the
students’ perareception of their teachers’ L1 use in grammar class?”. The six themes are:
Language Preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s management talk, the impact of
using L1, motivation and time-saving.
The data were collected in 2 grammar classes. In general, the respondents believed that
L1 is beneficial in the grammar class. However, they thought that too much L1 use in
grammar class is not good for their L2 learning. The results are discussed further below:
Table 1. Language Preference
No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot
1. I think the use of L1 (Bahasa Indonesia) is important
in grammar class.
25% 43% 68% 25% 7% - 7%
2. I think it is better for teachers to teach using L1 more
in grammar class.
14% 20% 34% 55% 7% 4% 11%
3. I am more comfortable when my teacher is using L1
in grammar class.
14% 43% 57% 32% 9% 2% 11%
In terms of language preference, we can see that the respondents had a positive view of
L1 use in grammar class. Most of the students saw L1 use as significant as found in the table.
Almost ¾ of the respondents (68%) or 30 out of 44 respondents agreed or strongly agreed
that the use of L1 is important for them. This means they moderately approved that L1 is
important especially in grammar class. L1 is important because it has advantages for the
students in learning sentence structure. This finding is supported by Greggio and Gil (2007).
They stated that L1 use is crucial in EFL classroom for the interaction between students and
teacher as well as in facilitating foreign language learning.
Also, 25 out of 44 respondents or (57%) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt
comfortable when their teachers are using L1 in grammar class. We can see from the
12
percentages, the students believed that the use of L1 in grammar made the students feel more
comfortable in learning L2. Although L1 as a significant role in grammar class, 22 out of the
44 students or (55%) were neutral towards their teacher’s use of L1 more in grammar class.
Table 2. Teacher’s Instructional Talk
No. Statement SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot
4. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when reviewing
material(s) in grammar class.
21%
36%
57%
36%
7%
-
7%
5. I think it is very effective when my teacher uses L1
for clarifying difficult grammatical points in grammar
class.
36%
48%
84%
16%
-
-
0%
6. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when asking questions
about the material(s) in grammar class.
5%
27%
32%
50%
14%
4%
18%
7. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when responding to my
question(s) in grammar class.
7%
23%
30%
52%
14%
4%
18%
8. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving correction
in grammar class.
7%
41%
48%
43%
9%
-
9%
9. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving basic
instructions in grammar class. E.g : “Kerjakan tugas
pada halaman 56”.
9%
16%
25%
39%
27%
9%
36%
In this part, L1 is seen as an efficient way for teachers’ instructional talk to teach
grammar in the class. As we can see that more than a half (57%) respondents or 25 of 44
respondents agreed and strongly agreed to the statement (no. 4) that they prefer their teachers
are using L1 for reviewing the material(s) in grammar class. Then, the majority of the
respondents have more amount of L1 use for clarifying difficult grammar (statement no.5),
(84%) or 37 out of 44 respondents had moderately high tendencies in choosing to agree or
strongly agree.
13
In terms of L1 use in grammar class, a teacher needs to include L1 in the EFL
classroom to clarify the meaning of the grammar because there will be a misconception in
understanding language structure. This is supported by Cook (2001, p. 418). He stated that L1
use it can be beneficial to convey meaning and clarify sentence structure. From the open-
ended question, some of the respondents reported that grammar is one of the difficult courses
that cannot be understood if they always use L2, so they preferred for their teacher to using
L1 then the difficult grammatical points can be explained clearly. When their teachers are
using L1 and it will be easier for the students to understand (Questionnaires, Question 5, 13
June 2019).
The responses from the respondents also the same with Kalanzadeh et al. (2013) study.
Based on their study, some materials in grammar class are hard to explain in the target
language. Therefore, L1 enables teachers to convey the material with a better and clear
explanation. Another reason also came up from student 39:
“In Indonesia context, learning grammar would be easier if we use L1 besides English
because English is our target language, not our L2” (Student 39, Questionnaires, Question 5,
13 June 2019).
Based on her opinion, we can conclude that she preferred the teacher to include L1 in
explaining the difficult grammatical points because L1 has straight to the point meaning that
can make her understand easier. That is why the students tended to choose L1 to make them
understand easier during lessons in grammar class.
Meanwhile, different from statement 4 and 5, half of the respondents chose neutral for
the other questions (see statement 6 and 7). (50%) or 22 out of 44 respondents thought that it
is ok if their teacher uses L1 or L2 when asking the question to the students. Then, (52%) or
23 out of 44 respondents seem felt fine if their teachers are using both languages in
responding to the students’ question. It can be seen from the reports of statement 6 and 7
open-ended questions. The students mentioned that they chose neutral because it is not a
14
problem for them if their teacher using both languages in the grammar class for asking
questions and responding to their question (Questionnaires, Question 6 & 7, 13 June 2019).
In line with some students, another student also gave a reason why both of languages is
needed in the grammar class:
“The teacher has to use English to give example and also support the students to make them
confident with English. Besides that, the teacher has to give an understanding in L1”
(Student 27, Questionnaire, 13 June 2019).
In statement 8, correction seen as an important part of learning grammar. If the students
are continually making mistakes, they cannot go out from the dark side. It is also a teacher’s
concern to choose the language used when giving a correction to the students to make the
students are not in the same mistake. 40 of 44 students chose to agree or strongly agree (48%)
and neutral (43%) for the statement (no.8) which I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving
correction in grammar class. 21 out of 44 respondents chose to agree or strongly agree
because L1 can make them know what mistakes they have done, it is also to avoid L2
misunderstanding (Questionnaires, Question 8, 13 June 2019). From their reason, it can be
seen that L1 is the language that has an important role to avoid mistakes and also
misunderstanding. The rest, 19 out of 44 respondents more likely to chose neutral for this
statement. They feel they still understand either the teacher is using L1 or L2 for giving the
correction in grammar classroom, and it also depends on the situation, if they still do not
understand when their teacher is using L2, then they will ask the teacher to explain the
correction in L1. (Questionnaires, Question 8, 13 June 2019).
In a classroom, a teacher will definitely give some instruction for the students. Either
the teacher is asking the students to do the exercise or answer the teacher’s question. For the
last statement of this category (statement 9), (39%) or 17 out of 44 respondents preferred to
choose neutral for their teacher to use L1 when giving basic instruction because, in their
opinion, it is teacher’s option whether they want to use L1 or L2 in giving instruction
15
(Questionnaires, Question 9, 13 June 2019). In here the students seem to have no problem
with the language use that used by their teacher for giving instruction.
Different from the respondents who chose neutral, (36%) or 16 out of the respondents
had a different point of view of the language used in grammar class especially in giving
instruction, they disagree or strongly disagree with L1 use when their teacher is giving basic
instruction in grammar class. It can be proven from the students’ reasons in the open-ended
question. They concluded that it is better if the teacher keeps using English because it is only
for basic instruction. (Questionnaires, Question 9, 13 June 2019) They tended to choose
English beside Indonesia because they thought that L2 use is still easy to understand for basic
instruction in grammar class.
Table 3. Teacher’s Management Talk
No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot
10. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for
disciplining in grammar class.
11% 21% 32% 48% 15% 5% 20%
11. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for
socializing in grammar class.
9% 36% 45% 35% 18% 2% 20%
As presented in the teacher’s management talk area above, L1 adequate to attract the
respondents’ attention. About almost half of the students (48%) or 21 out of the respondents
chose neutral that L1 use for disciplining is effective. Some of the students who chose neutral
pointed out that using L1 or L2 in the class for disciplining is not such a problem while it is
still understandable (Questionnaires, Question 10, 13 June 2019). One of the students also
reported the reason why he chose neutral;
“I think it is still effective if we are using L2, except if the situation is not conducive”.
(Student 24, Questionnaire, 13 June 2019). From the respondents’ reason, it can be
16
concluded that the use of L1 or not in grammar class is also effective for them.
Unfortunately, if the class situation is not conducive, L1 might be needed for disciplining
the students in the classroom.
Besides that, almost half of the students (45%) or 20 out of 44 respondents had a
positive perception of the effectiveness of using L1 for socializing in grammar class. They
expressed that the use of L1 can help them in learning and understand the use of grammar
while socializing in the classroom (Questionnaires, Question 11, 13 June 2019). L1 can assist
the students in making convenience in learning grammar because the use of L1 does not
make a gap between a teacher and the students. It can make a teacher and the students are
closer to each other.
In Spahiu (2013) study, he stated that “L1 helps the students feel comfortable and less
stressful in the EFL classroom” (p. 246). It means that the students will not feel afraid to
make a mistake and like to deliver ideas or speak up in the classroom.
Table 4. Impact of using L1
No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot
12. I think that too much the use of L1 in grammar class
can prevent a chance to develop my L2.
22.5%
22.5%
45%
32%
18%
5%
23%
13. I think too much use of L1 can make me difficult to
state a form or a meaning in English when I usually
say it in L1
14%
41%
55%
20%
25%
-
25%
In this cluster (Table 4), the respondents moderately to agree and strongly agree that too
much L1 use can be the negative impact on the students’ L2 learning. This finding is in line
with Hoff (2013). He stated that too much L1 use in the classroom can obstruct L2
acquisition. (45%) or 20 out of 44 respondents agree or strongly agree that overuse of L1 in
17
the class can prevent a chance to develop their L2. The reason why they more likely to chose
to agree or strongly agree because they thought that there is no chance for them to show their
English skills if they always use L1 in the classroom, they will not be able to get used to
using L2 (Questionnaires, Question 12, 13 June 2019).
When a student and a teacher overuse L1 in the classroom, student’s L2 acquisition will
be bothered. It will make them to difficult to think in L2 . As we can see that (55%) or 24 out
of 44 respondents preferred chose to agree and strongly agree for the statement I think that
too much use of L1 can make them difficult to state a form or meaning in English when they
usually say it in L1. Strong supports came from students’ opinion that learning a language is
easy if they get used to using it and in order to adept in using the language, they should keep
practice it (Questionnaires, Question 13, 13 June 2019).
Table 5. Motivation
No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot
14. I get motivated when the teacher is using L1 in
grammar class
7% 23% 30% 47% 16% 7% 23%
15. I tend to engage more when my teacher is using L1 in
grammar class.
5% 20% 25% 55% 18% 2% 20%
On the overall motivation section, these statements are related to the previous cluster
(no. 5 and 8) that L1 as a mediator for the teacher to give clear explanation and correction of
the grammar lesson. When the teacher is using L1 for explanation and correction, it promotes
a comfortable environment which the students get motivated to understand the lesson without
confusion and fear of misunderstanding. L1 use in grammar class also motivates the learners
and can make them more active during the teaching and learning process.
18
From the table, they neutrally get motivated and engaged more in the classroom if their
teacher is using L1 in grammar classroom. (47%) or as many as 21 out of 44 respondents
were neutral for the statement (no.14) I get motivated when the teacher is using L1 in
grammar class. According to them, they were neutral because they mentioned that it depends
on the situation if they feel confused when their teacher is using L2, but she/he also give the
explanation with L1 after L2, the students are motivated to understand the lesson also make
them comfortable to learn grammar in the class, (Questionnaires, Question 14, 13 June 2019).
Similar to the previous statement, more than half of the respondents (55%) or 24 of 44
respondents slightly neutral for the statement (no.15) which I tend to engage more when my
teacher is using L1 in grammar class. Most of 24 students said L1 use is not affecting them at
all for engaging more in the classroom, it is depends on their mood. (Questionnaires,
Question 15, 13 June 2019).
This finding shared similar results with the study by Laura M (2016). The result of her
study showed that most of the students had a fine feeling when their teacher is using L1 in the
classroom because the teacher can understand the students better, it makes the students be
able to express their ideas confidentially, make them comfortable in learning target language,
and also, they felt more supported to engage more in the classroom.
Table 6. Time-saving
No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot
16. I think the use of L1 can make me understand the
material(s) more quickly in grammar class.
16% 43% 59% 36% 5% - 5%
L1 does not only make the students understand the lesson easier, but L1 also make the
students learn the grammar quickly. As illustrated in table 6, we can see that most of the
19
respondents (59%) or 26 out of 44 students were agreed or strongly agree that L1 can make
the students understand the material(s) quickly in grammar class.
Sometimes, when a teacher explains the grammar using L2, there will be a student(s)
who do not understand, then the teacher will explain in L1 to make them understand about
the lesson but not wasting time. In the same line, Demir (2012) stated that L1 is should be
used in the EFL classroom for explanations to avoid time-wasting. While slightly
respondents, 16 of 44 respondents or (36%) were neutral for this statement and only a few
(5%) or 2 of 44 respondents who disagree that L1 can help them understand the material(s)
quickly in grammar class.
CONCLUSION
In teaching the target language, the teachers might have their ways to deliver the
material in relation to how they use L1 and L2. The main areas that discussed in this study
were: language preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s management talk, the impact
of using L1, motivation, and also time-saving. The objective of this study is to find out the
students’ perception of the teacher’s L1 use in grammar class.
The results from the study showed that the students agreed that their teacher has to
include L1 use in grammar class because L1 was seen to have advantages for the students. L1
as an effective tool for clarifying meanings and explaining difficult grammar points to make
the students understand the lesson clearly and quickly. Other than that, L1 also afford comfort
circumstance in the classroom in order to make the students not feel afraid to make a mistake
in learning grammar.
Despite the fact that L1 is beneficial for the students, L1 overuse is not good for
learning L2 grammar. The students did not prefer the idea of L2 overuse because they
20
thought that the overuse of L1 can prevent their L2 acquisition. In conclusion, a teacher
should include L1 use besides the use of L2 in grammar class to clarifying meanings and
explaining difficult sentence structure. Moreover, the overuse of L1 is not required in
grammar class. By investigating 44 students’ perception towards the use of L1 in grammar
class, the results are expected to help instructors or teachers in evaluating their language use
in teaching grammar.
This study still has limitations in investigating the students’ perception toward teacher’s
L1 use in grammar class. From my recommendation, I suggest further research on this topic
to use the interview or other kinds of instruments for collecting the data. Thus, there will be
new information on the students’ perception toward their teacher’s L1 use in grammar class
for interesting findings.
21
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of foremost, let me be thankful to my God and only Savior, Jesus Christ who
always gives his blessings in my life. Without his strength, I could not finish this thesis and
also could not survive when difficulties hit me. I also thank my beloved parents, Reddy
Sailam Sumurung Simanjuntak and Risma Manik as well as my older brother, Andy and my
older sister, Martha for their prayer, support and motivate me during my study.
I would also like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Elisabeth Titik
Murtisari, M. TranStud for her support, feedback in guiding and motivating me to finish this
thesis which is helpful and also beneficial for me. From her, I can learn more about the steps
of how to be a good writer. Also, I would like to thank my thesis examiner, Anita Kurniawati,
M.Hum. who wants to examine and give correction and suggestions for my thesis.
Not forget to mention, I also would like to say thank you to my boyfriend for your
time to support me throughout the process of writing this thesis and remind me to finish this
study on time. Then, to my beloved friends, Reborn Gang in my hometown, thanks for all of
your support. Also my beloved friends: Anne, Nathasa, Maya, Hulda, and also Godelva who
have helped me and gave some advice and suggestions during my study. Then, thanks to all
of my friends batch 2015 for the memories that all of you have done with me in this faculty.
Last but not least, thank you to the respondents for the questionnaire that have been answered
for this thesis. There are many people whom I may not be able to mention one by one, but I
would like to say thank you for everyone who has prayed and helped me during the
procession from the beginning until the end of my study in Faculty Language and Arts,
UKSW. Once again, thanks to all of you guys! God bless.
22
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APPENDIX
Appendix 1 – Questionnaire
Questionnaire about Students’ Perception
Toward Teacher’s L1 Use in Grammar Class
Dear participant,
My name is Yashinta Yuny Tama. I am collecting data for my thesis on students’
perception toward teacher’s L1 use in grammar class. Could you please answer the questions
below honestly based on your opinion(s) and experience(s) regarding Intermediate Grammar
class in this faculty? I would appreciate if you could write down your phone number or email
in case I need further clarification regarding your answers. Your personal data will be
confidentially treated (dilindungi kerahasiaannya). Your responses will not affect your grades
in this class. Thank you for your consent in completing the questionnaire.
SA = Strongly Agree
A = Agree
N = Neutral
DA = Disagree
SDA = Strongly Disagree
*State whether you strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree or strongly disagree by putting a
tick mark (✓) on one of the columns.
Note:
*L1 refers to Bahasa Ibu / Bahasa Indonesia
*L2 refers to English
No. Statements SA A N DA SDA
Language Preference (Pilihan Bahasa)
1. I think the use of L1 (Bahasa Indonesia) is important in grammar class.
Saya pikir penggunaan bahasa ibu sangatlah penting di dalam kelas
grammar.
2. I think it is better for teachers to teach using L1 more in grammar class.
26
Saya pikir akan lebih baik jika guru untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu lebih
banyak dalam mengajar di dalam kelas grammar.
3. I am more comfortable when my teacher is using L1 in grammar class.
Saya lebih nyaman ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu di dalam kelas
grammar.
Teacher’s Instructional Talk (Pembicaraan Instruksional Guru, bersifat pengajaran,
petunjuk, penerangan)
4. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when reviewing material(s) in grammar class.
Saya lebih suka guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika meninjau
kembali materi di dalam kelas grammar.
5. I think it is very effective when my teacher uses L1 for clarifying difficult
grammatical points in grammar class.
Saya pikir akan sangat efektif ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu
untuk menjelaskan grammar yang sulit di dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
..............................................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................... .
6. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when asking questions about the material(s) in
grammar class.
Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika bertanya
tentang materi di dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
..............................................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................... .
7. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when responding to my question(s) in grammar
class.
Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika menjawab
pertanyaan saya di dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
8. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving correction in grammar class.
27
Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa pertama ketika
memberikan koreksi di dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
9. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving basic instructions in grammar
class. E.g : “Kerjakan tugas pada halaman 56”
Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika
memberikan instruksi dasar di dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
Teacher’s Management Talk
10. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for disciplining in
grammar class.
Saya pikir akan sangat efektif ketika guru menggunakan bahasa ibu untuk
mendislipinkan siswa di dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
11. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for socializing in
grammar class.
Saya pikir akan sangat efektif ketika guru menggunakan bahasa ibu untuk
bersosialisasi di dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
Impact of using L1
12. I think that too much the use of L1 in grammar class can prevent a chance to
develop my L2.
Saya pikir terlalu banyak penggunaan bahasa ibu dalam kelas grammar dapat
mencegah kesempatan untuk mengembangkan bahasa kedua saya.
28
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
13. I think too much use of L1 can make me difficult to state a form or a
meaning in English when I usually say it in L1
Saya pikir terlalu banyak penggunaan bahasa ibu dapat membuat saya
kesulitan untuk menyatakan bentuk atau makna dalam bahasa Inggris yang
biasanya saya ungkapkan dalam bahasa ibu
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
......................... ........................................................................................................ .
Motivation
14. I get motivated when the teacher is using L1 in grammar class.
Saya termotivasi ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu di dalam
kelas grammar.
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
15. I tend to engage more when my teacher is using L1 in grammar class.
Saya cenderung lebih terlibat ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu di
dalam kelas grammar.
Why ?
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. .
Time-saving
16. I think the use of L1 can make me understand the material(s) more quickly
in grammar class.
Saya pikir menggunakan bahasa ibu akan membuat saya lebih mengerti
materi dengan lebih cepat di dalam kelas grammar.
BIODATA:
a. Umur : ..................................
29
b. Total IPK : ..................................
c. Jenis Kelamin :
Laki-laki
Perempuan
Apakah anda bersedia untuk diwawancarai jika saya membutuhkan informasi terkait dengan jawaban
Anda?
Ya
Tidak
Jika Anda bersedia,
Nama : ........................................................................
NIM : ................................................. .......................
Nomor yang dapat dihubungi : ........................................................................
Alamat e-mail : ........................................................................
Thank you, God Bless You.