Giving instructions in l1 and l2 in efl listening classes: The effects on a2 level learners

Among the researchers and teachers, the use of L1 in teaching a foreign language has been a controversial topic for many years, and it can be said that it is still a debateable issue in EFL classes. It is claimed that L1 should completely be excluded from the classroom environment while other shareholders support that it can be put into practice limitedly for predetermined purposes. The aim of this study is to measure and compare performances of A2 level preparatory school students at Pamukkale University in listening activities through post-tests when the activity instructions are provided in L1 (Turkish) and L2 (English) separately in two different homogeneous classes. Another aim of this study is to gather the views of volunteer participants of experimental group towards receiving instructions in L1 and the possible effects on their performances. The study was carried out with 48 students in the preparatory classes in the School of Foreign languages, Pamukkale University in spring term of 2016-2017 academic year. The total duration was 8 weeks with two hours of instruction per week for both experimental and control groups. The study benefited from quasi-experimental research design using post-test-only design since it did not include use of ramdom assignment. In addition, it is a mixed research method which involves using two methods of gathering data via both quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments. The quantitative results were collected first, and then a qualitative research was conducted in order to enrich the findings. There was no statistically significant difference between the means of placement scores of the control group and experimental group. This meant that based on placement scores these two groups were statistically equal to each other. Statistically meaningful difference was reached between the means of the scores obtained from students' post-tests. Based on the post-test scores, it was determined that providing instructions in L1 for the experimental group became effective in experimental group's moderately more successful performance than the control group. The effect size was obtained as 0.609 and providing instruction in L1 in listening activities presented medium size effect on students' performances in the post-tests. It was also revealed that the students found receiving instruction in L1 in listening exercises positive, however, they also shared that it increased the frequency of resorting to L1 in classroom interaction, in particular.