Kazakhstan's former president Nursultan Nazarbayev determined the main vectors of the prosperity of Kazakhstan in a globalized world as the establishment of a new trilingual language policy and integration of modern technologies in education. However, Kazakhstani EFL teachers generally resist adopting new pedagogical techniques because of the Soviet education they received and the assumptions that old methods such as monolingual practices are the most appropriate in teaching EFL (Burkhalter, 2013). Macaro's (2001) framework was used to analyze the practitioners' views and Lin's (2015) framework on the role of L1 was employed for the identification of the roles of Kazakh and Russian in Kazakhstani EFL classrooms.
Модель Макара (2001) использовалась для анализа отношения практикующих специалистов, а ролевая модель Лины (2015) для родного языка использовалась для определения ролей казахского и русского языков в казахских классах EFL.
Introduction
The purpose of the study is to explore Kazakhstani EFL teachers' views on translanguages in their EFL classrooms. One of the objectives of the study is to provide in-depth information about the views of Kazakhstani teachers, thus filling some gaps in Kazakhstani research. The second chapter is devoted to the review of the existing literature related to the research topic.
In the fifth chapter, the main results of the research are analyzed in accordance with what has been reviewed.
Literature Review
However, over time, many scholars began to question the validity of the hypotheses. Baker (2001) advocated the idea that translanguaging promotes a deeper and more refined understanding of the subject matter learned. To answer the second research question of the study on the role of L1 in the EFL classroom, Lin's (2015, as cited in Wang, 2019) three-dimensional framework for the use of L1 in classrooms is ready for adoption.
Aoyama (2020), in an empirical study of the partial use of translanguaging in the EFL classroom in Japan, identified several functions of the L1 during the completion of communicative tasks in the L2.
Methodology
11 English language teachers from two secondary schools of Kazakhstan were selected as study participants using a purposive homogeneous sampling strategy. The researcher determined the number of participants based on the ideas that for a qualitative study there is no strict calculation strategy for the sample size (Gronmo, 2020). However, during the recruitment process, one of the potential participants could not be contacted due to work problems.
After receiving contacts of the potential participants from the gatekeepers, participants received personal invitations to participate in the study via WhatsApp. As it was mentioned by Bell (2009), the main advantage of the interview for the study is that the interviewer. The study was conducted by choosing a face-to-face semi-structured interview with the teachers as the main instrument for the study.
According to Corbin and Strauss (2015), semi-structured interviews allow the researcher to maintain consistency of the concepts covered in each interview. Due to professional reasons, one of the participants canceled their participation in the study. During the dialogue, the researcher ensured a clear understanding of the interview questions, clarifying some parts where necessary.
The interview was audio-recorded, transcribed in written form and coded with the consent of the participants. In order to comfort the participants of the study, it was important to pay attention to the information about the study's aim and objectives.
Findings
The second part presents the practices of the EFL teachers, which include monolingual teaching and use of translanguage in the classroom. Many of the teachers interviewed shared the view that translanguage or a simultaneous use of several languages such as Russian, Kazakh and English in the EFL classroom improved learners' understanding of the English material. For the vocabulary section, five participants said that the use of the mother tongue is inevitable when introducing new words and expressions.
Many of the interviewees noted that there is an interdependence between the mother tongue and a foreign language. Two participants shared their views on the positive effect of using the students' L1 to meet the students' needs, which involved simpler learning and time saving during the lesson. Two other brilliant examples of seeing translanguaging as a scaffolding tool were using students' L1 to evaluate students' understanding of the topic and facts.
A common view among some interviewees was that student motivation is closely related to students' use of L1 during lessons. Two participants emphasized that if teachers limit the use of students' native language in the EFL classroom, students may lose their motivation to learn a foreign language and speak English. During the interviews with practitioners, most interviewees justified their attempts to prioritize the use of English in the EFL classroom.
The last part of the Findings chapter highlights the role of the L1 in the EFL classroom and the attitudes of the practitioners towards the use of the L1. In summary, the results show that most practitioners have a neutral attitude towards the use of L1 in the EFL classroom.
Discussion
The results are also consistent with Swain et al. (2000, as cited in Garcia . & Wei, 2014) finding that L1 has three main functions: (1) to advance the completion of a task through students' shared understanding of it; (2) enable students to focus on vocabulary and grammar; (3) to emphasize interpersonal interaction. The results of the study are consistent with those of Littlewood and Yu (2011), who suggested that L1 can be used to clarify the meanings of words and this clarification accelerates the learning process. Indeed, teachers tend to understand that similarities between different languages only benefit the learning process.
The participants were very confident in expressing their views on the need to name the words in L1 so that students can get a clearer idea of these words and make direct associations with them. These results echo those of Wei et al. (2013, as cited in Mazzaferro, 2018), who argued that translanguaging is involved in the construction of knowledge, which drives individuals to improve their cognitive skills, ideologies and experiences.
Five of the eleven interviewees stated that they always try to introduce the material in English, even when the students do not.
However, further research into school administration beliefs and attitudes should be conducted in Kazakhstan. At present, it is still unclear whether this factor should be considered when analyzing EFL teachers' views and practices due to the lack of such research. Ultimately, according to EFL teachers' views on the use of translanguaging, it was clear from the interview results that the practitioners were neutral towards the use of L1 in the EFL classroom.
Most of them were of the opinion that the use of translation in the English language classroom does not negatively affect the learning process and therefore, teachers are not against it. When applying all the data analyzed in the conceptual framework of Macaro (2001), we can conclude that the interviewed practitioners hold a maximal position, which implies the realization of the usefulness of L1 for learning grammar and vocabulary, as well as for classroom management . However, teachers expressed the opinion that L1 should be used with children of younger ages and lower levels of knowledge.
The same view was discussed in a recent study on Kazakh teachers' beliefs about translanguaging (Amaniyazova, 2020).
The second role of L1 in the EFL classroom, revealed by the results of the study, is to facilitate the learning of grammar and vocabulary in English. According to Lin's (2015) three-dimensional framework of the role of L1, the Kazakh and Russian languages complete ideational functions, which are the unpacking, translation and elaboration of the content learned in L2. Lin's (2015) framework includes using students' everyday experiences to draw a parallel between learning an L2 and learning science; nevertheless, it is believed that material in EFL can be consistent with the examples contained in the framework.
Conclusion
As the results of the study discovered, L1 (Kazakhstan and Russian) fulfills the conceptual function of providing instruction on EFL lesson content in L2 according to Lin's (2015) framework. At the end of each interview, they expressed their intention to learn about the results of the study and learn about the views of their colleagues. The research clearly showed practitioners' views and perceptions about translation and L1 use in the EFL classroom, but it also raised a question.
Due to the findings of the study, it is recommended that educators deeply analyze and revise the teacher education program for EFL teachers. Further research should be done on the development of a multilingual education system in Kazakhstan, which considers the use of L1 in L2 lessons and also takes into account the interconnectedness of languages. It is beyond the scope of the study to address the question of EFL teachers' actual practice of translanguaging due to the impossibility of conducting observations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout the study, the researcher aimed to analyze the views and knowledge of English language practitioners about the existing trends in English language education, and therefore addressed specific questions during the interviews. The study practitioners were curious during the interviews and tried to share their ideas about this. Can you think of a role for students' mother tongue (Russian, Kazakh) in English lessons.
DESCRIPTION: You are invited to participate in a research study exploring teachers' views on the use of students' first language (Russian or Kazakh) in their classrooms. All collected data and records will be stored in the personal lap of the researcher, which will be password protected and stored in the special box secured with a password. The time of the interviews will be negotiated in advance with the participants, so as not to affect the participants' commitment to work.
Can you think of a role for the students' mother tongue in the lessons of English.