Examining students' perspectives on the use of first language in community-based English as second language classrooms

<p>This survey-based research investigates the perspectives on first language (L1) use by adult students of English as a second language (ESL) in three ESL community-based programs in Michigan, United States. The study focuses on community-based programs because, even though it offers a variety of social, educational, and language backgrounds, this setting has been underrepresented in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) research on L1 inclusion in ESL classes. The key findings of this study demonstrate that students use their L1 regardless of their English proficiency and lack of encouragement by teachers. In addition, students believe specific L1 uses (e.g., translating vocabulary and taking notes) can help them learn English. Overall, the findings suggest that strategic use of L1 has the potential to benefit community-based learners across different proficiency levels by fostering their second language (L2) acquisition as well as affirming their identity as multilingual and multicultural individuals.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

World Languages

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Carvalho, Fernanda da Silva

Contributors dc:contributor

• Zuzana Tomaš, Ph.D., Chair
• Cynthia Macknish, Ed.D.
• Elizabeth Morgan, Ph.D.

• ESL
• native language
• TESOL
• translanguaging
• Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/899

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2274