Exploring teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the use of Arabic language in grades 11-12 EFL classrooms in Oman: an in-depth investigation of EFL pedagogy

Exploring teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the
use of Arabic language in grades 11-12 EFL classrooms
in Oman: an in-depth investigation of EFL pedagogy

The argument over whether or not the learners’ first language (L1) should be applied in English language as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms has been a contentious matter for a long time. This pedagogical discussion is not only constant but also uncertain. The ongoing debate surrounding this issue needs further research, as proposed by the present study, with a focus on the Omani EFL context. This study therefore aims to add new insights into this continuous controversial issue of applying L1 in EFL classrooms. Furthermore, this mixed methods study aims to fill the specific gap in the current literature connected to the practical field of using Arabic language (L1) in Omani grades 11-12 EFL classrooms pedagogy. It explores teachers’ and students’ perspectives and possible reasons for using Arabic during the English language (L2) in Omani EFL contexts.

Aiming to explore and understand this subject from different broader perspectives, a mixed methods approach has been applied. Therefore, data was collected by adopting two forms of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations as data collection instruments. The study was conducted based on a convenience sampling method from eight male and female grades 11-12 schools in 4 different governorates in Oman. The participants were composed of 50 male and female EFL teachers and 240 male and female students. Data were interpreted and analysed from both EFL teachers and students' responses.

The outcomes of this study showed that both EFL teachers and learners, throughout the lesson time, frequently used the Arabic language for different teaching and managerial reasons. The Arabic language facilitates learners’ understanding of meanings of new vocabulary words, in explaining difficult grammatical rules, in classroom management and discipline, and to motivate and encourage low proficiency level learners. This highlights the need for a curriculum framework that includes a systematic use of Arabic based on practical EFL teacher training programs whereby both teachers and learners recognise the reasons behind their L1 usage in EFL classrooms. The study also found that students are eventually able to eliminate their L1 use and improve the L2 learning process. The findings further help educators, administrators, and policymakers in fostering EFL pedagogical improvement in Omani English education.