Arab World English Journal
AWEJ Volume.3 Number 2. June 2012 pp. 400 – 436
Examining the Use of Arabic in English Classes at the Primary Stage in Hebron Government
Schools, Palestine: Teachers’ Perspective
Nida’ Mohammad Hisham Salah
Hebron, Palestine
Dr. Mohammed Abd Hakim Farrah
English Department, Faculty of Arts
Hebron University – Palestine
Abstract:
The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which Arabic was used in the primary English classroom, the attitudes of teachers toward using Arabic and their reasons behind using it. It also aimed at exploring which gender used Arabic more in the EFL classroom. In addition, it tried to present the relationship between the use of Arabic and years of English teaching experience. The results of the study which were collected through a questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews indicated that Arabic was sometimes used in the primary English classrooms by teachers. It also indicated that there were no significant differences in using Arabic in the primary EFL classroom due to gender and English teaching experience. Moreover, the findings indicated that more Arabic was used by the teachers for translating abstract words and terminologies.
Keywords: L1 and L2, EFL classroom, gender, years of experience, teachers’ perspectives.