L1 as a means of motivation in teaching young (1–4 grades) EFL learners

AbstractThe place of mother tongue (L1), the Karakalpak language in this case, has been an argument in ELT history for ages. While some teachers see L1 as a block before learning foreign language (L2) and strictly avoid using the native tongue in language teaching, on the other side the others consider using L1 as a reference and believe in the contribution of the native language in the acquisition of the target language. This paper reviews the literature on using L1 in the teaching of L2 and by analyzing the attitudes of English teachers in the use of L1, comments on the findings from the interviews. Moreover, young learners and their motivation will be discussed this article. The results of the research show the specific ways ELT teachers prefer using L1, which breaks the psychological barriers and concludes that the use of L1 creates a low anxiety atmosphere for both the learners and the teachers.

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