Target language usage in classrooms : A case study of pupils’ target language usage in their second language English classrooms

The current study investigated pupils’ use of the target language (TL) in their second language classroom. Two different groups of the same upper secondary course in English, taught by the same teacher, have been observed. After the observations some pupils from both groups as well as the teacher were interviewed on their thoughts of why the distribution between TL and mother tongue (L1) looks like it does in their respective group. The results showed that the two groups differed; where one group tended to use the TL in most of the communication taking place in the classroom while the other group rarely used the TL in favour of their L1. Most pupils only used TL when they were speaking with the teacher and in oral exercises. The interviewed pupils and the teacher believed that this is because pupils are uncomfortable with using the TL and are afraid of making mistakes that might affect their grade. This demonstrates the importance of a good classroom environment to benefit the use of the TL and the pupils’ progress