Student perceptions of L1 use in the foreign language classroom : help or hindrance?

This paper is a contribution to the issue of the use of the students' first language (L1) in foreign language (FL) teaching. The study adds to the long lasting debate over L1 use in the language classroom by surveying students enrolled in language courses for beginners at a university level. The survey focuses on students' perceptions concerning the use of the L1 in FL instruction, and investigates how its use for various purposes is perceived from a learning (rather than teaching) standpoint. The paper first gives an overview of research completed in L1 use in language teaching/learning over the past two decades. It then presents results of a study carried out at the University of Queensland with four groups of students enrolled in French, German, Japanese and Spanish on their perceptions of the use of English in their first-year study of a foreign language.29 page(s