A study on the effects of the teachers' usage of mother tongue and the target language in the second grades

The study's primary purpose is to determine the effects of using the mother tongue, the second language, or both in primary school second grades. Teachers' opinions are determined to use the mother tongue, the second language, or both while teaching in primary classes, which results in the effects of the classrooms' learning products. The study participants were Foreign Language teachers teaching 2nd grade classes (205) in Seyhan, Yüreğir and Çukurova provinces of Adana. This research is a descriptive study using a screening model to determine the effect of the course in English and Turkish on the students' learning products based on the teachers' opinions. In this study, teacher semi-structured interview forms and questionnaires were used. Today, foreign language teaching has become an indispensable element of education systems. English, in particular, is one of the most widely learned languages worldwide. However, the impact of using Turkish between teachers and students in English lessons is a frequently debated topic. This article evaluates the effect of using Turkish on lesson efficiency in light of survey results and participants' opinions. First, the survey results show that most participants agree greater efficiency is achieved when only English is used. This indicates that students have the opportunity to improve their language skills by focusing entirely on English during the lesson. Communicating solely in English in English classes is more effective for language acquisition and developing listening and comprehension skills. On the other hand, students can still achieve a certain level of efficiency when both English and Turkish are used in lessons. This shows that transitioning between Turkish and English can help some students better understand the topics. Understanding complex concepts in Turkish can enhance the retention of the information learned during the lesson. The survey generally shows negative opinions about whether students understand English better when they use Turkish. In other words, the proportion of students who claim to understand better when using Turkish could be much higher. This result suggests that using Turkish in English lessons provides limited benefits to students. In conclusion, the efficiency achieved when only English is used in English lessons is higher compared to a mixed-language approach. However, using Turkish aids comprehension for some students should not be overlooked. Educators must consider this and strike a balance in their lesson plans to meet their students' needs. Ultimately, the language learning process is a dynamic structure that requires careful evaluation of teaching methods and communication strategies. Keywords: Language, mother tongue, foreign language, target language, critical age, language acquisition.