Middle School Students’ Attitudes Towards the Use of the Mother Tongue

Abstract

This study investigates the use of the mother tongue in English as a foreign language classrooms, which leads to the language phenomenon widely known as code-switching that marks a continuous switch between the target language and the mother tongue. The study focuses on Algerian third-year middle school pupils’ attitudes towards the use of Arabic in English classes. In addition, it explores how middle school learners perceive their use along with their teacher’s use of the mother tongue, and how effective it can be as a helping tool in foreign language learning. Previous literature shows that pupils hold positive attitudes towards mother tongue use in EFL classrooms as it provides them with more aid to learn the target language. This study is conducted with thirty third-year middle school pupils at Boubzari El Maki middle school in Jijel. Two means of research are used: an observation grid and a questionnaire, forming a mixed qualitative and quantitative research approach. The analysis of the collected data is descriptive to provide a clear representation of the results of this language learning phenomenon. The findings from this study indicate that Algerian middle school pupils favor using the mother tongue in EFL classrooms as it helps them develop linguistic abilities in the target language and encourages them to speak up when facing obstacles in the learning process. Moreover, it is concluded that students tend to use the mother tongue to upgrade their level in the target language.