Students’ perceptions of using mother tongue in English classrooms at a Hai Duong province high school: an exploratory study

Tóm tắt

This study investigates students‘ perceptions of using Vietnamese in English classrooms at a high school in Hai Duong province, Vietnam. It seeks to find the purposes, frequencies of using Vietnamese in the observed English classes and the perceptions of students about using Vietnamese in English classrooms. Adopting a mixed methods approach that includes questionnaire and classroom observation, the study reveals that a majority of student participants had positive attitudes towards using Vietnamese in English classrooms. The findings of the study suggests that the frequency of Vietnamese use varies by teachers, teaching objectives and students‘ different levels of English proficiency. Regarding the situations where Vietnamese is often used, the analysis data indicates that teachers use their mother tongue for explaining and translating unfamiliar vocabulary, clarifying grammar rules, building rapport with students, reducing anxiety, and fostering peer support and collaborative learning.