Reasons for and frequency of English teachers' use of mother tongue in primary school foreign language classrooms

Most of the learning in a foreign language classroom occurs via teacher talk. One of the important factors about teacher talk in a primary school language classroom is choosing the appropriate language for young learners. The significance of using the target language in a foreign language classroom has been emphasized over the years. Therefore, the study aimed to find out the frequency and functions of L1 in primary school EFL classrooms. Also, an indirect purpose of this study is to help primary school English teachers review their preferences of language choice and improve themselves. Five teachers who work in primary schools in Muş province were the participants of this study. Data triangulation was used to collect data and it included classroom observation, audio-recordings and teacher interviews. Each teacher was observed and audio recorded for three classroom hours. The teachers were interviewed by the researcher after the classroom observation process. The data was analyzed by using content analysis method. The results indicated that English teachers use L1 extensively in primary school classrooms and the learners could not get enough L2 input from the teachers. The reason for this situation might be related to teachers' invalid teaching methods in teaching foreign language to young learners. Therefore, English teachers who work in primary schools are advised to review their teaching methods and avoid using L1 in the classroom as much as possible.