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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 3 September 2019 Pp.192-201
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.13
The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English as a Second Language:
Attitudes of Arabic EFL Learners
Abdulrahman Alzamil
Department of Foreign Languages
Taif University, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Teachers may wonder whether the use of first language (L1) in the second language (L2) classroom
is beneficial or detrimental to L2 learning. The present study investigates the attitudes of L1 Arabic
speakers towards the use of English in the L2 classroom. The study examined the following: a)
whether Arabic is used in English language classrooms; b) students’ attitudes towards their English
teachers’ use of Arabic; c) students’ attitudes towards their classmates’ use of Arabic; d) whether
the use of Arabic facilitates L2 English learning. The study was conducted with 149 male Saudi
university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners studying in a Saudi English department.
They were asked to complete two questionnaires: a) a background questionnaire; and b) an
attitudinal questionnaire. The findings revealed that the participants believed that: a) Arabic is
seldom used by their teachers; b) the use of English is more beneficial than Arabic to learning
English; and c) Arabic can be used in some situations by teachers when communicating important
information.
Keywords: Arab EFL learners, attitudes, English classroom, learning, using Arabic, second
language
Cite as: Alzamil, A. (2019). The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English as a
Second Language: Attitudes of Arabic EFL Learners. Arab World English Journal, 10 (3) 192-
201. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.13
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number3 September 2019
The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English Alzamil
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
193
Introduction
Teachers’ strategies and practices in the classroom influence the success in learning English as a
foreign language (EFL) (Çelik & Aydın, 2018). What teachers implement in the classroom has
been the focus of education researchers in terms of enhancing the classroom environment.
Researchers and language teachers have long debated the issues surrounding the use of students’
L1 in L2 (Adnan, Mohamad, Yusoff, & Ghazali, 2014; Sadighi, Rahimpour, & Rezaei, 2018). A
watershed moment in the teaching of English came when the grammar-translation method was
abandoned in the late 19th century, a method promoting the use of L1 in the L2 classroom
(Almohaimeed & Almurshed, 2018). In other words, using students’ L1 in the L2 classroom was
considered a hindrance in the L2 classroom (Hall & Cook, 2014). Cook (2001) maintains that since
L2 learners acquire their L1 without the help of any other languages, they do not need to use their
L1 to help them acquire their L2. Nonetheless, he proposes that teachers may use L1 for class
management and explaining difficult grammar; this view is supported by Cole (1998), who also
suggests that L1 should only be used with students who have low levels of proficiency. Conversely,
Krashen (1983), among others, makes the assumption that L1 would influence the plethora of L2
input necessary for the acquisition of L2. There is a dearth of research addressing the perspectives
of students regarding their use of L1 (AlSharaeai, 2012) and the use of Arabic in the EFL classroom
(Al-Balawi, 2016). The current study aims to examine the perspectives of Arab students as they
pertain to their teachers’ use of Arabic in the EFL classroom. Moreover, it examines the potential
influence of Arabic on the success of students learning English.
Literature Review
Numerous researchers have focused on the success of L2 acquisition during adulthood (Al-Balawi,
2016). Researchers differ in their views regarding whether full acquisition is possible during
adulthood (e.g., Schwartz & Sprouse, 1996; Vainikka & Young-Scholten, 2011) or not (e.g., Bley-
Vroman, 1990). Regardless of their position, all researchers appreciate the value of L2 input for
the success of L2 acquisition. This is why teachers wonder whether their use of students’ L1 may
hinder their learning success.
Before discussing relevant studies, the following question must be considered: do teachers
use their students’ L1? A study was conducted by De la Campa and Nassaji (2009) with two
language teachers who were teaching EFL at a German university. They were observed for 12
weeks and the findings revealed the occasional use of German to illustrate difficult English words
and for other reasons that they believed would facilitate students’ learning. Hall and Cook (2014)
conducted a study with 2,785 teachers from 111 countries (including Arab countries, such as Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates). All the teachers completed a questionnaire and 20 teachers
participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed the wide use of students’ L1 and
that the teachers used students’ L1 for those who had low levels of proficiency or to communicate
important information; these findings support earlier research (e.g., Cole, 1998; Cook, 2001). Hall
and Cook’s (2014) international study indicates that teachers (regardless of their nationality) tend
to use students’ L1. The question is whether students advocate the use of their L1. Zhao and
Macaro (2014) propose that researchers’ positions regarding the use of L1 in the L2 classroom fall
into one of three categories: a) L1 should not be used; b) L2 use should be maximised; and c) equal
amounts of L1 and L2 can be used. Studies that are for and against the use of L1 are reviewed
below.
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number3 September 2019
The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English Alzamil
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
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Tang (2002) conducted a study with 100 students and 20 teachers in China to examine
whether the use of Chinese would have an adverse effect on EFL learning. A mixture of interviews,
classroom observations and a questionnaire was utilised. The findings indicated that students and
teachers generally favoured the use of Chinese. With regard to the Saudi context, Al-Nofaie (2010)
investigated students’ and teachers’ perspectives concerning using Arabic in a Saudi EFL girls’
intermediate school. The study was conducted with 30 students and three teachers. Data were
gathered using: a) classroom observation; b) a questionnaire; and c) interviews. The findings
revealed that students and teachers had positive attitudes towards using Arabic in EFL learning.
The study results were confirmed by Alshammari (2011), who conducted a study of 13 teachers
and 95 students in a technical college in Saudi Arabia. He administered a questionnaire and found
participants had positive attitudes towards the use of Arabic when teaching English.
Conversely, several researchers have found that their participants opposed the use of L1 in
the L2 classroom (e.g., Kharma & Hajjaj, 1989; Larsen-Freeman, 2000; Nazary, 2008; Sharma,
2006). Nazary (2008) conducted a study with 85 L1 Farsi speakers on an English extracurricular
course in Iran. He administered a 16-item questionnaire and found that the participants did not
favour their teachers using their L1. They state that success in the EFL classroom depends on an
abundance of L2. Their views support two views in the literature on second language acquisition
(SLA). The first was presented by Krashen (1983), whose comprehensible input hypothesis
assumes that success in L2 acquisition relies solely on exposure to L2 input. The second is related
to the position adopted by Bley-Vroman (1990), who suggests that child L1 acquisition is different
from adult L2 acquisition, and that full L2 acquisition is not possible post-childhood. Apart from
this, those who are against the use of L1 in the L2 classroom assume that students are motivated
to learn their L2 through their L1. This may result in what is known as L1 transfer of grammatical
features that the L2 does not accommodate (Schwartz & Sprouse, 1996).
It can be observed from the studies conducted in Saudi Arabia that L2 learners prefer their
teachers to use their L1. Do students’ educational backgrounds affect their perspective when it
comes to using L1 in the L2 classroom? Nazary’s (2008) study indicates that their participants did
not prefer the use of their L1 as they were taking an optional English course to improve their
English. The aim of the present study is to address the following questions:
1. Is Arabic used in university-level English language classrooms in Saudi Arabia?
2. To what extent do Saudi students who specialise in English have positive attitudes towards
the use of Arabic and English in the English classroom?
3. Do Saudi students assume that the use of Arabic facilitates learning English as a second
language?
Methodology
Participants
The study was conducted with 149 male participants (mean age 21.7 years; SD=1.2), all of whom
were male Saudi EFL students in an English department in Saudi Arabia. The average age at which
they started taking formal English classes was 11.1 years. The participants were chosen at random
and the original number was 161. Nevertheless, participants were excluded from the study if they
were bilingual or began learning English before the age of 7 years. Therefore, such participants
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number3 September 2019
The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English Alzamil
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
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may have attitudes towards the use of Arabic that fall outside the scope of this study. This
precaution was taken as the aim of the study is to examine students’ perspectives on their teachers’
use of L1 (Arabic) in the EFL classroom.
Instruments
A questionnaire is considered a reliable source of information (McGuirk & O'Neill, 2005).
Following studies that investigated students’ perceptions and attitudes (e.g., Al-Nofaie, 2010;
Alshammari, 2011; Hall & Cook, 2014; Tang, 2002), two questionnaires (written in English) were
administered: a) a background questionnaire; and b) an attitudinal questionnaire. The background
questionnaire comprised nine items that addressed basic information about the participants, such
as their age and when they started their formal English learning, and whether they had ever lived
in an English-speaking country. Moreover, the background questionnaire addressed whether
Arabic is used in the English language classroom, as this would provide me with information
regarding the use of Arabic where the participants were studying. Conversely, the attitudinal
questionnaire comprised 17 statements that were distributed over three constructs: a) attitudes
towards teachers’ use of Arabic and English; b) attitudes towards students’ use of Arabic and
English; and c) attitudes towards the possible impact of using Arabic and English on L2 learning
of English. The 17 statements were inspired by statements used by other researchers (Al-Nofaie,
2010; Alsuhaibani, 2015; Sbaihat, Al Duweiri, Hashem, & Kalaldeh, 2018). Five-point Likert
scales (from always to never) for the background questionnaire, and (from strongly disagree, to
strongly agree) for the attitudinal questionnaire, were adopted.
Procedure
Written consent was sought from all participants and assurances were given that all personal
information would remain confidential throughout the process. The participants were told that they
could withdraw at any time without providing any reasons. After handing out the questionnaires,
the participants were informed that they could request clarification or translation of any words they
did not understand. Most completed the questionnaires in approximately 15 minutes.
Results
Table 1. below illustrates the findings that emerged from the background questionnaire (statements
7, 8 and 9) regarding the frequency with which Arabic is used in the EFL classroom. Moreover,
the results of the three constructs display: a) attitudes towards teachers’ use of Arabic and English
(statements 1–8); b) attitudes towards students’ use of Arabic and English (statements 9–12); and
c) attitudes towards the possible impact of using Arabic and English on the L2 learning of English
(statements 13–17). The tables below display the responses as numbers (frequency) and percentage
scores (the number of responses is divided by the total number of participants, which is 149).
Table 1. Descriptive statistics for frequency of using Arabic in the English language classroom
Questionnaire item
Alwa
ys
Ofte
n
Sometim
es
Rarel
y
never
7. I speak Arabic in the English-
language classroom.
Frequen
cy
50
32
37
11
19
Percenta
ge
33.6
%
21.5
%
24.8%
7.4%
12.8
%
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The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English Alzamil
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ISSN: 2229-9327
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The responses to statements 8 and 9 demonstrate that the participants were divided with regard to
how frequently they spoke Arabic; however, it appears that they preferred to speak Arabic, and
those who seldom or never spoke Arabic were relatively few in number. Statement 8 responses
revealed that around half of the participants (48.3%) maintained that their teachers seldom spoke
Arabic.
Table 2. Descriptive statistics for attitudes towards teachers’ use of Arabic and English
8. Arabic is spoken by my teacher in
the English-language classroom.
Frequen
cy
8
27
29
72
13
Percenta
ge
5.4%
18.1
%
19.5%
48.3
%
8.7%
9. Arabic is spoken by my
classmates in the English-language
classroom.
Frequen
cy
49
54
26
11
9
Percenta
ge
32.9
%
36.2
%
17.4%
7.4%
6.0%
Questionnaire item
Strongly
disagree
Disagre
e
Uncertai
n
Agree
Strongl
y agree
1. I prefer my teacher to
speak English when
explaining concepts that
are challenging.
Frequen
cy
6
7
28
70
38
Percenta
ge
4.0%
4.7%
18.8%
47.0%
25.5%
2. It is necessary for
teachers to speak English
when introducing new
material.
Frequen
cy
11
9
18
81
30
Percenta
ge
7.4%
6.0%
12.1%
54.4%
20.1%
3. It is necessary for
teachers to speak English
when conveying important
information: for example,
exam instructions.
Frequen
cy
50
33
15
28
23
Percenta
ge
33.6%
22.1%
10.1%
18.8%
15.4%
4. I would prefer the
teacher to always speak
Arabic in the English-
language classroom.
Frequen
cy
88
32
11
7
11
Percenta
ge
59.1%
21.5%
7.4%
4.7%
7.4%
5. I do not like it when the
teacher speaks Arabic.
Frequen
cy
62
55
18
6
8
Percenta
ge
41.6%
36.9%
12.1%
4.0%
5.4%
6. When talking with my
teacher, I am more
comfortable speaking
Arabic.
Frequen
cy
42
37
22
38
10
Percenta
ge
28.2%
24.8%
14.8%
25.5%
6.7%
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The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English Alzamil
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ISSN: 2229-9327
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The table highlights that a significant proportion of participants preferred their teachers to speak
English when explaining challenging concepts (statement 1) or introducing new material
(statement 2). Their attitudes differed with regard to the use of English when providing exam
instructions (statement 3), as about half of the participants opposed the use of English. A
significant number of participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the constant use of Arabic
(statement 4); however, the majority of participants expressed that it did not cause them concern
(statement 5). For statements 6, 7 and 8, the participants’ attitudes were divided, but a large
proportion expressed uncertainty with regard to statement 8.
Table 3. Descriptive statistics for attitudes towards students’ use of Arabic and English
Concerning their use of Arabic and English with their classmates (statements 9, 10 and 11), the
participants seemed to have different opinions that ranged from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
However, a relatively large proportion agreed and strongly agreed with statement 12, i.e. their
classmates understand them better when they communicate in Arabic.
7. English should only be
used by students when
talking to their teachers.
Frequen
cy
34
22
42
17
34
Percenta
ge
22.8%
14.8%
28.2%
11.4%
22.8%
8. I want my teacher to
permit the use of Arabic by
students.
Frequen
cy
10
14
62
34
29
Percenta
ge
6.7%
9.4%
41.6%
22.8%
19.5%
Questionnaire item
Strongl
y
disagre
e
Disagr
ee
Uncertain
Agree
Strongly
agree
9. English should only be
used by students when they
are working on a task as a
team.
Frequenc
y
28
36
51
22
12
Percenta
ge
18.8%
24.2%
34.2%
14.8%
8.1%
10. When talking with my
classmates, I do not use
Arabic.
Frequenc
y
23
47
32
22
25
Percenta
ge
15.4%
31.5%
21.5%
14.8%
16.8%
11. I prefer my classmates
to use Arabic.
Frequenc
y
37
32
27
22
31
Percenta
ge
24.8%
21.5%
18.1%
14.8%
20.8%
12. I think I am better
understood by my
classmates when we talk in
Arabic.
Frequenc
y
5
11
23
45
65
Percenta
ge
3.4%
7.4%
15.4%
30.2%
43.6%
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Table 4. Descriptive statistics for attitudes towards the possible impact of using Arabic and
English on L2 learning of English
Statements 13 and 16 reveal that a large proportion of the participants believed that using English
in class would improve their English. The participants’ opinions regarding statements 14, 15 and
17 demonstrated that the majority of participants opposed the use of Arabic.
Discussion
This section will discuss the results in terms of the three research questions:
1. Is Arabic used in university-level English language classrooms in Saudi Arabia?
2. To what extent do Saudi students who specialise in English have positive attitudes towards
the use of Arabic and English in the English classroom?
3. Do Saudi students assume that the use of Arabic facilitates learning English as a second
language?
With regard to research question 1, the results of the background questionnaire indicate that a small
proportion of participants (7.4%) reported that they had seldom or never (12.8%) used English.
From the results, it is observed that 48.3% of the participants maintained that their teachers seldom
or never used Arabic (8.7%). However, 19.5% of the participants reported that their teachers used
Arabic sometimes (often 18.1% and always 5.4%). In other words, 43% of the participants reported
Questionnaire item
Strongl
y
disagre
e
Disagre
e
Uncertai
n
Agree
Strongly
agree
13. It is essential to speak
only in English in order to
improve my English.
Frequenc
y
11
13
28
42
55
Percenta
ge
7.4%
8.7%
18.8%
28.2%
36.9%
14. I understand English-
language lessons better
when the teacher speaks
Arabic.
Frequenc
y
51
40
32
19
7
Percenta
ge
34.2%
26.8%
21.5%
12.8%
4.7%
15. I enjoy English-
language lessons better
when I am permitted to
speak Arabic.
Frequenc
y
44
31
30
25
19
Percenta
ge
29.5%
20.8%
20.1%
16.8%
12.8%
16. Having a teacher who
speaks English during
lessons is an effective way
to learn English.
Frequenc
y
11
16
13
42
67
Percenta
ge
7.4%
10.7%
8.7%
28.2%
45.0%
17. When the teacher is
correcting my mistakes, I
prefer him to speak in
Arabic.
Frequenc
y
12
76
34
22
5
Percenta
ge
8.1%
51.0%
22.8%
14.8%
3.4%
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that Arabic is used in the English language classroom. This supports studies conducted by De la
Campa and Nassaji (2009) and Hall and Cook (2014), who reported that teachers sometimes tend
to use their students’ L1.
Concerning question 2, the majority of participants (above 70%) expressed a preference
for their teachers to use English when explaining challenging concepts or introducing new
materials. However, around 55.7% of the participants agreed with statement 3, ‘It is necessary for
teachers to speak English when conveying important information: for example, exam instructions.’
It seems that when it comes to conveying important information, most students preferred the use
of their L1 to L2. Probably, since the statement included ‘exam instructions’, this led most of the
participants to disagree with the use of English due to the importance of exam-related matters.
This highlighted that the participants did not want to miss any piece of information due to the use
of L2 (English). I wonder if their choices might have been different had the statement not featured
‘exam instructions’. Participants’ preference for the use of Arabic for important matters only was
confirmed by the fact that a large majority (80.6%) opposed the constant use of Arabic (statement
4). Nevertheless, a large proportion of participants (78.5%) reported that they did not oppose the
use of Arabic by teachers. This could be because they believed, as demonstrated by the results for
statement 3, that Arabic may be used by teachers to ensure students understand a matter completely
without jeopardising that by using English. The participants were divided between agreeing or
disagreeing with regard to statement 6, ‘When talking with my teacher, I am more comfortable
speaking Arabic’, and statement 7, ‘English should only be used by students when talking to their
teachers.’ This could be because the participants considered the use of a mixture of Arabic and
English useful when speaking to their teachers in some situations, without having a clear
preference for Arabic or English. However, overall, students tend to have lower proficiency levels
than their teachers, which could explain why the participants in the present study did not disagree
with the use of Arabic by their teachers, and why some (41.6%) were uncertain; 22.8% agreed and
19.5% strongly agreed with statement 8, ‘I want my teacher to permit the use of Arabic by
students.’ This supports the findings of a number of researchers (e.g., Cole, 1998; Cook, 2001)
whereby teachers used students’ L1 when they have low levels of proficiency.
Regarding statements 9, ‘English should only be used by students when they are working on a task
as a team’, 10, ‘When talking with my classmates, I do not use Arabic’, and 11, ‘I prefer my
classmates to use Arabic’, their opinions were divided (ranging from strongly disagree to strongly
agree). These statements were related to whether or not the participants prefer speaking to their
classmates in English or Arabic. However, this division disappeared in their selections for
statement 12, ‘I think I am better understood by my classmates when we talk in Arabic’, as 73.8%
of the participants were in favour. This demonstrates that while the participants differed regarding
their preference for the use of Arabic and English with their classmates, they agreed that Arabic is
preferred when it comes to understanding.
Question 3 addressed whether the use of Arabic would facilitate the learning of English.
For statement 13, ‘It is essential to speak only in English in order to improve my English’, 28.2%
of participants agreed and 36.9% strongly agreed. This is similar to how some of them (28.2%)
agreed and (45%) strongly disagreed with statement 16, ‘Having a teacher who speaks English
during lessons is an effective way to learn English.’ For statements 14, 15 and 17, more than half
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number3 September 2019
The Effects of the Use of First Language on Learning English Alzamil
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ISSN: 2229-9327
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of the participants disagreed that Arabic would make understand their lessons easier (statement
14), make them enjoy their lessons better (statement 15) or make them better understand teachers’
corrections (statement 17). The findings revealed that participants maintained that using English
would lead to improving their grasp of the language.
The results above support other researchers who found that students do not prefer the use
of L1 in the L2 classroom (e.g., Cole, 1998; Cook, 2001; Kharma & Hajjaj, 1989; Larsen-Freeman,
2000; Nazary, 2008; Sharma, 2006). With regard to studies supporting the use of L1 (e.g., Al-
Nofaie, 2010; Alshammari, 2011; Tang, 2002), it has been demonstrated that the participants'
preference for using Arabic was in some specific situations, such as exam instructions (statement
3), or that Arabic is the best tool when speaking to their classmates (statement 12). The reason why
the present study’s findings differ from other Saudi-based studies (i.e., Al-Nofaie, 2010;
Alshammari, 2011) is that Al-Nofaie’s study was conducted in an intermediate school while
Alashmmari’s was conducted in a technical college. Moreover, since the participants in the present
study were students in an English department, and they had to improve their language given that
this is their major, this affected how they viewed the use of Arabic. In other words, it seems that
educational background may play a role in students’ and learners’ attitudes.
Conclusion
The literature pertaining to language learning cites the use of L1 in the L2 classroom as a
controversial topic. Views vary concerning whether the use of L1 helps students learn a second
language (e.g., Al-Nofaie, 2010; Tang, 2002) or not (e.g., Kharma & Hajjaj, 1989; Larsen-
Freeman, 2000; Nazary, 2008; Sharma, 2006). The current study investigated Saudi university
students’ attitudes towards using Arabic in the English L2 classroom. The results revealed that the
participants preferred the use of English over Arabic. They thought that Arabic should only be
used by teachers when they are talking about important matters and believed that using English in
class is effective for learning English.
About the Author:
Dr. Abdulrahman Alzamil is an assistant professor of second language acquisition of syntax in
the Department of Foreign Languages at Taif University in Saudi Arabia. His research interests lie
primarily in the area of generative second language acquisition of morphosyntactic and semantic
properties. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2462-3408
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