The Impact of Teacher Education on English Teachers’ Views about Using Mother Tongues: A Teachers’ Perspective

Abstract

After decades of persistent dominance of monolingual approaches in language teaching, we are now witnessing a shift to pluralist pedagogical practices that recognize learners’ mother tongues (MTs) as a valuable resource. This paper examines data from 44 questionnaire respondents and 4 interviewees to investigate teacher perspectives on using learners’ MTs in the classroom and the extent to which teacher education shaped their beliefs. The results suggest that while most of the participants stressed the importance of maximizing target language (TL) use, some of them also recognized the value of employing MTs for specific purposes, such as anchoring new learning, providing grammar explanations and task instructions, decreasing student and teacher anxiety, sustaining motivation, and supporting learner identity. Most participants agreed that their teacher education program exerted some influence on their beliefs and practices, but their personal experiences as learners and teachers were also named as influential sources. The most notable change in views related to an increased use of the TL, which contradicts recent findings relative to the value of using learners’ existing resources. The paper concludes by stressing the need to examine the curricula and objectives of teacher education programs in the light of the current research on multilingualism in education.

Spanish Teachers’ Beliefs about Plurilingualism: A Case Study in a Monolingual Context

“…Specifically, De Angelis (2011) analyzes teachers' views about using mother tongues in the classroom, with a sample of teachers of different secondary disciplines-languages, science, literature, or physical education-from Italy, Austria, or the UK, surveyed by means of a questionnaire. These views are conditioned not only by the training received in their university program but, as has already been shown, by their personal experiences as learners and teachers (Neokleous et al 2022). The results of De Angelis's (2011) study show that most teachers perceive multilingualism positively, but only when it is not directly related to linguistic interactions, which are not considered a benefit.…”

“…As Pajares (1992) explains, all teachers hold beliefs about their work, students, subject matter, roles, and responsibilities. Research highlights the relationships between these beliefs, developed through their own experience as students; their education as teachers; and their teaching, learning, and classroom practice (Borg 2003;Maggioni and Parkinson 2008;Neokleous et al 2022). Particularly relevant is the fact that teachers' experience as language learners can have more influence on their teaching practice than pedagogical principles learned during teacher training (Gutierrez Eugenio 2014).…”

“…The results of De Angelis's (2011) study show that most teachers perceive multilingualism positively, but only when it is not directly related to linguistic interactions, which are not considered a benefit. In the same way, most of the teacher participants do not refer to their students' home language or culture in class, as is the case in the study by Neokleous et al (2022), where pre-or in-service Norwegian teachers of English, surveyed by means of a questionnaire and interviews, adhere to an English-only approach, fearing that the use of the mother tongue would be detrimental to the acquisition of the foreign language. In addition, the fact is that teachers sometimes "struggle to shift from monolingual ideologies and pedagogical practices, as advocated for in the promotion of multilingualism and inclusive pedagogy" (Tishakov and Tsagari 2022, p. 141).…”

Exploring Code-Switching Practices in Vietnamese Classrooms: An Introductory Investigation

“…De La Fuente and Goldenberg (2022) emphasize the importance of building on students' existing linguistic and cognitive skills in their first language to facilitate acquiring a second language. By using the mother tongue strategically, teachers can clarify complex concepts, explain grammar structures, and provide translations as needed, thereby promoting more profound understanding and comprehension (Beisenbayeva 2020;Hawa, Suryani, Susiani, Dauyah & Majid 2021;Neokleous, Krulatz & Xu 2022).…”

Exploring Code-Switching Practices in Vietnamese Classrooms: An Introductory Investigation

“…De La Fuente and Goldenberg (2022) emphasize the importance of building on students' existing linguistic and cognitive skills in their first language to facilitate acquiring a second language. By using the mother tongue strategically, teachers can clarify complex concepts, explain grammar structures, and provide translations as needed, thereby promoting more profound understanding and comprehension (Beisenbayeva 2020;Hawa, Suryani, Susiani, Dauyah & Majid 2021;Neokleous, Krulatz & Xu 2022).…”