The Effectiveness of Mother Tongue-Based Language Teaching in Facilitating English Language Skills for Thai University Undergraduates and their Perceptions on L1 Use in English Classrooms
Keywords:
English language skills, Mother tongue-based language teaching, Perceptions, Thai university undergraduatesAbstract
This research study investigates the effectiveness of mother tongue-based language education in facilitating English language skills among Thai university undergraduates and explores how Thai university undergraduates perceived using mother tongue-based language teaching in English classrooms. The participants were 100 private university undergraduate students in Chiang Mai, Thailand selected by purposive sampling. Based on the data collected via an experimental study, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview, the findings were statistically significant. The results demonstrated a significant increase in the mean scores of the post-tests in the experimental group and the control group. The mean scores of the changes of the tests in the experimental group were also greater than those of the control group. Therefore, the findings indicated that the method could generate a higher level of achievement in English language learning skills among the experimental group. In addition, the participants perceived various advantages of using their native language (L1) in second language (L2) classrooms. First, employing students’ mother tongues allowed for better understanding of the content being taught. Second, this tactic increased motivation to participate in classroom activities and complete tasks. Third, it enabled teachers to clarify and explain some difficult concepts, including directions for classroom tasks and activities. Ultimately, the participants generally supported use of their mother tongue in an English classroom to enhance their foreign language skills, citing particular benefits in explaining English grammatical rules and the meanings of difficult or confusing terms.
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