In-service teacher attitudes toward the use of the mother tongue in Norwegian EFL classrooms

Abstract

Because of the lack of research on the use of the mother tongue (MT) in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom in European contexts, and because the topic is rarely discussed in teacher training programs, teachers often assume that students prefer an environment that makes little to no use of their MT. What complicates matters further is that while policy makers suggest maximal use of the target language (TL), European curricula for English as a subject do not contain any direct statements prescribing English as the sole language of instruction. Thus, EFL teachers who share an MT with their students often wonder to what extent and in what contexts they should employ the TL and MT. Observing four Norwegian EFL teachers in primary and lower secondary school over several lessons, this study attempts to unravel teacher attitudes towards MT use in the EFL classroom by presenting interview findings for the first time in a Norwegian setting. Additionally, the study explores whether the lack of clear guidance in the Norwegian curriculum for the subject of English regarding the use of the MT may add to the confusion among Norwegian EFL teachers as to how, when, and if the MT should be used. The results suggest that despite acknowledging the potential of the MT in the classroom, the four participants also felt guilty about its presence in their classrooms, particularly since their reported behaviours did not reflect their actual behaviours. In light of these findings, this paper suggests future research to shed light on what ratio would qualify as judicious MT use. It also highlights the importance of discussing the use of MT in EFL teacher training programs.

Examining the qualitative aspects of language use in English teaching for young learners

“…Despite the growing academic consensus that confirms the important role of the L1 in foreign language instruction, exclusive use of the TL is still regarded as good practice and a commonsense approach by many teacher educators and policymakers (Butzkamm & Lynch, 2018;Kerr, 2016;Neokleous & Ofte, 2020). Furthermore, actual language use has been found to vary greatly across classrooms in different educational contexts, even in settings where exclusive TL use is prescribed (Inbar-Lourie, 2010;Littlewood & Yu, 2011;Rabbidge & Chappell, 2014;Shin et al, 2020).…”

“…As most Scandinavian primary teachers of English are generalists and share an L1 with their learners, they are at a strategic and pedagogical advantage, as this increases their repertoire of skills and tools for teaching (Copland & Yonetsugi, 2016). Monolingual classrooms are uncommon and as in other contexts, language use has been found to vary greatly across classrooms, in all three countries (Cadierno et al, 2020;Krulatz et al, 2016;Neokleous & Ofte, 2020;Schröter & Molander Danielsson, 2016). In Norway, Krulatz et al (2016) found that a majority of primary teachers reported TL use of between 15% and 75%.…”

“…Language practices appear to cause a certain frustration among many Scandinavian primary teachers. In several studies, they express positive attitudes toward using a lot of TL, although many voice discontent with their own practices, feeling that their TL use should increase (Krulatz et al, 2016;Neokleous & Ofte, 2020;Schröter & Molander Danielsson, 2016). This is certainly understandable, considering the English-only imperative where 'good' teaching implies excluding and ignoring the L1.…”

“…So far, teachers have had to rely on their own intuition and develop pragmatic approaches to maintain learners' motivation and focus, and strive to avoid frustration in increasingly heterogeneous classrooms. The wide differences in English use across classrooms, in Scandinavia and elsewhere, where the TL is less prevalent than the L1 in many cases, and where teachers feel guilty about their L1 use (Neokleous & Ofte, 2020;Schröter & Molander Danielsson, 2016) should be of concern to anyone involved in language education. To support teachers to make professional choices, without clear guidelines, the TTI offers a supportive structure.…”

Comparing pre-service teacher attitudes toward the use of students’ home language(s) in linguistically diverse English as an additional language classrooms in Norway and Cyprus

“…Traditionally, as even recent research indicated, Norwegian was the language that prevailed in Norwegian EAL classrooms and Greek in Cypriot EAL classrooms (Neokleous and Ofte, 2020;Armostis and 10.3389/feduc.2023.1254025 Frontiers in Education 03 frontiersin.org Tsagari, 2022) as teachers worked in linguistically homogeneous classrooms (Lorenz et al, 2021). The teachers often resorted to using the majority language to exemplify and clarify queries, answer questions, and provide instructions.…”