Using Kurdish in Preparatory English Language Classrooms: A Replication Study at Tishk International University-Erbil, Iraq

Using mother tongue in foreign language classroom has been discussed over the years and still remains a contested issue among teachers and experts in the foreign languages field. This paper replicated a study conducted in Spain and later in China with the aim of determining whether Kurdish should be used in the Preparatory English Classrooms, and attitudes of students and teachers towards using Kurdish in the classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used questionnaires for collecting quantitative data from instructors and students, and interviews together with classroom observation for qualitative data from 100 students and 20 teachers. The results indicate that even though majority of students do not wish Kurdish to be used in class, they still like it when teachers do. Teachers overwhelmingly support prudent use of Kurdish in the classrooms mostly while giving instructions and when dealing with new vocabulary terms, especially under time limit constraints. Reasons for students’ luck of support for their mother tongue in class were suggested and recommendations made