Investigating Students’ Perceptions of Languages Used for Grammar Instruction

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Although researchers and practitioners have debated whether to use the first language (L1) or the second language (L2) as the medium of instruction in the English classroom over a few decades, few studies have dealt with students’ perceptions about these language choices. At the Bunkyo English Communication Center in Hiroshima Bunkyo Women’s University, the L2 is predominantly used in all English classes to maximize students’ exposure to it. A semester-end survey in a grammar course, however, revealed that a third of the students taking the course felt the need for grammar explanations in the L1. Prompted by these results, the current study was conducted to investigate 1) the students’ previous experiences in receiving L1 instruction, 2) the students’ need for grammar explanations in L1, and if they have such needs, which grammar points, and 3) the students’ beliefs about the medium of grammar instruction. The results suggested that majority of the students taking the grammar course were used to L1 instruction and that it might be beneficial to provide some L1 support for explaining particular grammar points conceptually difficult for Japanese learners of English. Also, some of the students’ responses suggested that learners’ beliefs about the medium of grammar instruction may change over the course of time. The limitations of the study and possible further studies are discussed at the end.

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