STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD TEACHER’S L1

USE IN GRAMMAR CLASS

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Yashinta Yuny Tama

112015102

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS

UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA

SALATIGA

2019

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STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD TEACHER’S L1

USE IN GRAMMAR CLASS

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Yashinta Yuny Tama

112015102

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS

UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA

SALATIGA

2019

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iv

v

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in any

course or accepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any university. To the

best of my knowledge and belief, this contains no material previously published or

written by any other person except where due reference is made in the text.

Copyright @2019: Yashinta Yuny Tama and Dr. Elisabet Titik Murtisari, M. TransStud

All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without the

prior written permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English

Department of Universitas Kristen SatyaWacana, Salatiga.

Yashinta Yuny Tama.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Inside Cover Page..................................................................................................... i

Pernyataan Tidak Plagiat ......................................................................................... ii

Pernyataan Persetujuan Akses ................................................................................ iii

Publication Agreement Declaration ....................................................................... iv

Copyright Statement ............................................................................................... v

Approval Page ......................................................................................................... vi

Table of Contents ................................................................................................... vii

List of Tables ........................................................................................................ ....ix

Abstract ................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1

REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................................. 3

The Definition of Perception ............................................................................... 3

Teaching Grammar .............................................................................................. 4

L1 Use in EFL Setting ......................................................................................... 5

Opposing The Use of First Language ......................................................... 5

Supporting The Use of First Language ....................................................... 6

Previous Studies .................................................................................................. 7

THE STUDY ........................................................................................................ ..8

Context of the Study .......................................................................................... ..8

Participants of the Study .................................................................................... ..9

Data Collection Method..................................................................................... ..9

Data Collection Procedure ................................................................................. ..10

Data Analysis Procedure ................................................................................... ..10

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................ ..11

Language Preference ......................................................................................... ..11

Teacher’s Intructional Talk ............................................................................... ..12

Teacher’s Management Talk ............................................................................. ..15

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Impact of Using L1 .......................................................................................... ..16

Motivation ......................................................................................................... 17

Time-saving ....................................................................................................... 18

CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 19

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. 21

REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 22

APPENDICE ......................................................................................................... 25

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Language Preference ...................................................................................... 11

Table 2. Teacher’s Intructional Talk ............................................................................ 12

Table 3. Teacher’s Management Talk ........................................................................... 15

Table 4. Impact of using L1 ........................................................................................... 16

Table 5. Motivation ....................................................................................................... 17

Table 6. Time-saving ..................................................................................................... 18

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ABSTRACT

In the discussion of the EFL setting, one ongoing controversial issue which has been

ongoing is whether L1 is required and useful or not in the EFL classroom. Many studies’

opinions were used by researchers to know the perception of students toward the use of L1 in

L2 class. Some of them believe that L1 is useful and effective and some of them believe that

L1 can be a boomerang for the students. This study aims to analyze students’ perception of

their teacher’s L1 use in grammar class. There is one research question discussed in this study

“What are the students’ perception toward the teacher’s L1 use in grammar class?” The

participants in this study were the students in the English Language Education Program of the

Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga who have taken

the Intermediate grammar course. Quantitative method was used in the study by giving the

participants a questionnaire for the data collection in this study. The results of this research

showed that the participants were agreed for the use of L1 in the grammar class. L1 use can

afford their needs in learning L2 because L1 can give them an easy way to learn L2 grammar

in the classroom. Nevertheless, it is not recommended when the use of L1 is more often than

L2 use in grammar classroom.

Keywords: First Language / L1, Perception, Grammar.

Introduction

Every teacher has their own ways and choices with their medium of instruction when

teaching English, especially in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Some

teachers might use full of Second Language (L2) in the classroom, while other teachers

would prefer to include the use of the First language (L1) during the explanation of the

material or even giving the instruction in the class.

Some experts believe that the use of L2 to teach the Target Language in the classroom

is the best way of learning and teaching the target language (Howatt 1984; Richards &

Rodgers, 2001). The use of L2 in the classroom can maximize the learners’ exposure to the

target language. Allwright (1979) as cited in Harmer (2007), also claims that the best way to

learn a language is by using the language itself or by applying the L2 in the classroom

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through communication. In other words, to maximize the target language the students can

practice the language itself in the classroom.

On the other hand, some researchers pointed out that the maximum use of L2 in the

classroom especially in the EFL context and less exposure to L1 may obstruct the students’

L2 learning process (Krashen, 1981; Cook, 2001; Butzkamm & Caldwell, 2009; Demir,

2012). In other words, the use of L1 is highly useful and beneficial for teaching and learning

English in the EFL setting. Also, many scholars are against the idea of elimination of L1 in

the L2 classroom. Harmer (2001) stated that the overuse of L1 can limit the students’

knowledge in learning the target language. Similar to Harmer’s statement, Krashen (2003)

also proposed that the best way for students to learn the target language is by using the target

language as much as possible with minimum L1 interference. Therefore, well-planned use of

L1 can be a positive outcome for the learners in learning L2 (Nation, 2003).

Usually, some teachers use L1 in the classroom to explain the meaning of the words

when the students do not understand while the teachers explain in L2, even for explaining the

grammar structure. In the previous research, Sharma (2006) conducted the use of mother

tongue in the classroom, she found that most of the teachers implement the use of L1 to

explain the grammar points. The teachers use L1 for their explanation in grammar class to

make sure that the students understand clearly about the grammar structures. There are many

studies about the use of L1 in the EFL setting from two different points view, either they are

supporting or opposing the use of L1 (Demir, 2012; Sharaeai, 2012) The different points of

view came up with their own opinions about the topic.

In discussions of the use of L1 in the EFL context has been ongoing debated among the

researches and scholars. Therefore, it is still unclear whether L1 can be as a tool to support

the students’ learning process or it can be as an obstacle for them. Most of the previous

studies only investigated the teacher’s perception of the use of L1 in the EFL setting.

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Meanwhile, the students’ perception of the teacher’s L1 use is still limited. The students’

perception of teacher’s L1 use in grammar class should be investigated more. The aim of this

writing is to answer the research question: “The students’ perception toward teacher’s L1 use

in grammar class”. By conducting this research, the results are expected to help teachers in

evaluating their language use in grammar class.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The Definition of Perception

Akurugu (2010) describes perception as a conscious interpretation of any event or

object received by the senses that explain a particular action or reaction. He stated that

“knowledge of the student’s perception can lead to the teacher’s objective assessment and it

is highly useful for the teacher to determine the type of intervention measure needed to help

the students with low achievement” (p.22). In other words, by knowing the students’ opinion,

it might be an evaluation for the teacher in teaching the students. Taylor (2012) states the

definition of perception in his study entitled students’ and teachers’ perception of physical

education. He stated that perception is how people think and believe and the way that they

see and comprehend things based on their experience.

Teaching Grammar

Grammar is known as one major aspect of learning English because grammar is the

rules of the language structure to understand a language (Gelderen, 2002). Larsen-Freeman

(2009) defines that “grammar is a system of meaningful structures and patterns that are

governed by particular pragmatic constraints” (p. 521). In other words, he explained that

grammar is the arrangement of important structures that are represented by specific

requirements. Grammar is viewed as one of the core components in second language

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acquisition for many reasons. Grammar is important for the students, especially in the EFL

context. Larsen-Freeman (2003) as cited in Rimmer (n.d.) said that grammar is important

because if we learn and understand the rule of grammar, we can utilize a language by using

the rules. Similarly, Batstone and Ellis (2009) claim that grammar is considered to be one of

the important elements in language teaching because grammar knowledge will help to

improve second language proficiency.

Studying grammar is truly important because it can help the students to become

effective language learners. Nevertheless, learning grammar is often seen as a difficult

prosses. Several researchers argue that English linguistic forms might look simple but might

be confusing since they serve different functions relying on the context (Kacani & Mangelli,

2013). Shiu (2011) stated that L2 grammar learning is incredibly complex because of various

grammatical difficulties. she maintains that “a grammar structure may be difficult to learn if

it contains unimportant communicative meaning, its use is optional, its form meaning

relationship is obscure (for example, one meaning can be expressed by multiple forms, or one

form has multiple meanings)” (p.6).

Ellis (2006) mentioned there are two issues of grammatical difficulty, it is implicit and

explicit knowledge. It refers to the difficulty that the students have in understanding a

grammatical feature and the difficulty when they internalize a grammatical feature so that

they are able to use grammar accurately in communication.

Ellis (2006) defines grammar teaching as “any instructional structure that draws

learners’ attention to some specific grammatical form incomprehension that helps them

understand and process the specific grammatical form incomprehension or production” (p.

84). Therefore, grammar teaching plays an important role to help students understand how to

use grammatical forms.

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L1 Use in EFL Setting

Thompson (2006) stated the significance of L1 usage in FL setting has been advanced

since the late 1880's by various showing strategies and methodologies. Nowadays, there are

two contradicting perspectives regarding L1 use in the EFL settings, which come from those

who support L1 use and those who oppose L1 use in the EFL setting. Each viewpoint carries

out theories that support their opinions.

Opposing The Use of First Language

There are some reasons why some linguists oppose L1 use. Sharaeai (2012) stated that

in order for the students to acquire their second language, they need to get as much L2

exposure as possible. When the teacher includes L1 during the teaching process, L1

interference will happen. Hoff (2013) stated that the occasion of L1 can prevent L2

acquisition since the presence of L1 would mean less introduction toward L2. The more

students get their L2 knowledge the more they can use the L2 accurately and appropriately.

Sharma (2006) maintains that “[t]he more students are exposed to English, the more quickly

they will learn; as they hear and use English, they will internalize it to start to think in

English” (p. 80). In other words, if the students get used to practicing the target language,

students will get maximum L2 exposure.

Another reason comes from the relation of students’ dependence on their first language.

L1 use in the EFL context can make students reliant on it. Grammar can affect their

performance when communicating in a real-life situation as they would not even try to

comprehend the meaning from L2 context and explanation on how to use specific L2 forms

(Demir, 2012, p. 23). He argues that if the teacher continues to explain the material by using

L1, the students can lose the capacity to think in the target language. In other words, the more

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L2 utilization, the easier for them to think L2 vocabulary and grammar in learning the target

language.

Supporting The Use of First Language

Those who support L1 use argue that the use of L1 in the EFL context will aid in the

students’ second language acquisition. They believe that the use of L1 can be as a tool for

helping the students in the classroom. Salah (2011) asserted that mostly, learners use their L1

to speak to the teacher when they are not able to express what they want to say. Besides that,

not only for student-teacher communication, L1 also helpful for student-student

communication. Anton and DiCamilla (1999) claim that L1 use is a powerful tool that can be

used for student-student interaction in order for the direction of students’ understanding in

completing the task. The essence of their argument is that L1 can be as a tool to help the

learners to more effectively complete the L2 task.

The use of L1 also can make the students have comfortable feelings when learning the

target language in the classroom. Polio and Duff (1994) claim that the use of L1 could be

helpful for creating a relaxing atmosphere in the classroom. Furthermore, L1 can develop

students’ comprehension. Atkinson (1993) stated that many learners, especially teenagers or

adults, the implementation of L1 gives them the opportunity to show that they are brilliant

and sophisticated people (p. 13).

Another reason for the use of L1 in the classroom comes from Garcia’s statement.

Garcia (2007) as cited in Hidayati (2012) stated that there are some reasons for teachers using

L1 to teach L2. First, it is because the students lack oral proficiency or confidence in using

English, students’ disability to understand spoken English, all the other important

examinations on reading, teachers need to explain difficult vocabulary or grammar, they need

to give background information to the students and they have to overcome communication

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difficulties by expressing something in the students’ L1 which is difficult to be explained in

the target language. The last is for saving time.” Same with Garcia (2007), Pan and Pan

(2010) assert that L1 use can encourage the students in doing classroom activities because of

the use of L1 provides a beneficial scaffolding that helps learners in the understanding task

and solving their problems in learning.

Previous Studies

There are many studies about the issue of perception in the EFL context. Among them,

two studies are relatively similar to the present study. The summary of the two studies will be

presented in the paragraph below.

Demir (2012) conducted a study in the International Black Sea University (IBSU) Prep

Program, Georgia to discover whether students and teachers prefer to use L1 in the process of

the L2 grammar class. 12 teachers and 41 students were involved in his study. From the

questionnaire, he found out that 72.7% of teachers and 33.3% of students supported the

application of L1 during the presentation of new grammar and error correction. Few students

(33.3%) and a half of teachers (50%) think that the use of L1 in grammar class can decrease

EFL skills’ level. Teachers emphasized presentation, while students emphasized error

correction. What he found out from his study was that lecturers and students at IBSU

considered a reasonable application of L1 in L2 grammar classes positively. In his research,

Demir (2012) also believes that some very limited time can be and even should be dedicated

to explanations and error-correction in the native language because of student-centered

teaching, intellectually demanding nature of grammar, communicative teaching and also

time-saving and practical teaching. (p. 27).

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Similarly, Hidayati (2012) conducted a research to investigate the benefits of the use of

L1 in Indonesian EFL classes as perceived by the teachers and the students. The participants

of her study were 6 teachers and 100 students in Telkom Polytechnique, Bandung. She

employed three methods to complete her objectives, which were observation, questionnaire,

and interviews. For the observation, she observed 6 classes of different majors in Telkom

Polytechnique. She also interviewed 6 English teachers from the six classes. Then she gives

the questionnaire with 7 questions to 100 students.

From her study, she found out that there are some benefits of L1 which is Bahasa

Indonesia in the EFL classroom as perceived by the teachers and the students. First is to

explain grammar, second is to explain difficult vocabulary items, third is to check students’

comprehension, fourth is to make jokes, fifth is to give suggestions to the students to learn

more effectively, and the last is to give complex classroom instruction. Bahasa Indonesia was

helpful in the EFL classroom when it was used judiciously. In other words, L1 can produce

the right benefits when it used appropriately. Therefore, the teachers in Telkom

Polytechnique still often use Bahasa Indonesia, especially in giving classroom instructions

than the target language.

THE STUDY

The Context of the study

Students in English Language Education Program of The Faculty Language and Arts at

Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga have to take two required grammar courses

which are Basic and Intermediate Grammar. Basic grammar is the course the students should

pass if they want to take Intermediate Grammar in the next semester. Those two courses have

the same purpose in learning grammar, they just have a different level difficulty of learning

grammar. Based on the name, Basic Grammar is a course where students learn about the very

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basic language structure, meanwhile, Intermediate Grammar is the higher level of learning

language structure.

Participants of the Study

The participants of this study were 44 students (Batch 2018) who have taken

Intermediate Grammar courses in English Language Education Program of the Faculty of

Language and Arts, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga.

Data Collection Method

Questionnaire

This study was conducted a quantitative method by giving the students a questionnaire

that employs close-ended questions. The questionnaire has 16 statements which are required

to answer the research question: What are the students’ perception toward the teacher’s L1

use in grammar class? The questions (statements) were adapted from the previous study

Hamze (2010) and few were adapted from Rihulay (2016). The 16 questions are separated

into several classifications. There are six classifications for the questionnaire, there are;

Language preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s management talk, the impact of

using L1, motivation, and also time-saving. The statements of these six classifications are

available in the Appendice (See Appendix 1).

The students who were chosen to fill the questionnaire gave a score by putting a

checklist for each statement (question). For the students’ answer there are 5 numerical rating

scale for each statement; Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Neutral (N), Disagree (DA),

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Strongly Disagree (SDA). The reason for using this kind of question is because it has clear

and to the point answer.

Data Collection Procedure

For the data collection, I have prepared some statements that related to my title to put

into my questionnaire. I made sure that the questionnaire was clear and understandable by

piloting the questionnaire to a few students from English Literature program before

distributed the questionnaire to the participants in order to make them could fill the

questionnaire appropriately without the confusion. Then, I asked for a permission letter to

distribute the questionnaire in 2 intermediate grammar classes. Next, after I have collected

the data from the students, I classified their answers and analyzed the data by the theme that

emerges in the questionnaire section.

Data Analysis Procedure

Each statement from the questionnaire was to see the students’ perception of the

specific use of teachers’ L1 in the grammar class. The responses of each item were counted

and converted into percentage diagram for a clear explanation. The results were analyzed

based on the categories: (Language preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s

management talk, the impact of using L1, motivation, and also time-saving) to see the

student’s perception in different aspects. Each respondent’s answers in the questionnaire have

the score, strongly agree = 5, agree = 4, neutral = 3, disagree = 2, strongly disagree = 1.

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FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The data analysis identified six themes relevant to the research question: “What are the

students’ perareception of their teachers’ L1 use in grammar class?”. The six themes are:

Language Preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s management talk, the impact of

using L1, motivation and time-saving.

The data were collected in 2 grammar classes. In general, the respondents believed that

L1 is beneficial in the grammar class. However, they thought that too much L1 use in

grammar class is not good for their L2 learning. The results are discussed further below:

Table 1. Language Preference

No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot

1. I think the use of L1 (Bahasa Indonesia) is important

in grammar class.

25% 43% 68% 25% 7% - 7%

2. I think it is better for teachers to teach using L1 more

in grammar class.

14% 20% 34% 55% 7% 4% 11%

3. I am more comfortable when my teacher is using L1

in grammar class.

14% 43% 57% 32% 9% 2% 11%

In terms of language preference, we can see that the respondents had a positive view of

L1 use in grammar class. Most of the students saw L1 use as significant as found in the table.

Almost ¾ of the respondents (68%) or 30 out of 44 respondents agreed or strongly agreed

that the use of L1 is important for them. This means they moderately approved that L1 is

important especially in grammar class. L1 is important because it has advantages for the

students in learning sentence structure. This finding is supported by Greggio and Gil (2007).

They stated that L1 use is crucial in EFL classroom for the interaction between students and

teacher as well as in facilitating foreign language learning.

Also, 25 out of 44 respondents or (57%) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt

comfortable when their teachers are using L1 in grammar class. We can see from the

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percentages, the students believed that the use of L1 in grammar made the students feel more

comfortable in learning L2. Although L1 as a significant role in grammar class, 22 out of the

44 students or (55%) were neutral towards their teacher’s use of L1 more in grammar class.

Table 2. Teacher’s Instructional Talk

No. Statement SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot

4. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when reviewing

material(s) in grammar class.

21%

36%

57%

36%

7%

-

7%

5. I think it is very effective when my teacher uses L1

for clarifying difficult grammatical points in grammar

class.

36%

48%

84%

16%

-

-

0%

6. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when asking questions

about the material(s) in grammar class.

5%

27%

32%

50%

14%

4%

18%

7. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when responding to my

question(s) in grammar class.

7%

23%

30%

52%

14%

4%

18%

8. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving correction

in grammar class.

7%

41%

48%

43%

9%

-

9%

9. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving basic

instructions in grammar class. E.g : “Kerjakan tugas

pada halaman 56”.

9%

16%

25%

39%

27%

9%

36%

In this part, L1 is seen as an efficient way for teachers’ instructional talk to teach

grammar in the class. As we can see that more than a half (57%) respondents or 25 of 44

respondents agreed and strongly agreed to the statement (no. 4) that they prefer their teachers

are using L1 for reviewing the material(s) in grammar class. Then, the majority of the

respondents have more amount of L1 use for clarifying difficult grammar (statement no.5),

(84%) or 37 out of 44 respondents had moderately high tendencies in choosing to agree or

strongly agree.

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In terms of L1 use in grammar class, a teacher needs to include L1 in the EFL

classroom to clarify the meaning of the grammar because there will be a misconception in

understanding language structure. This is supported by Cook (2001, p. 418). He stated that L1

use it can be beneficial to convey meaning and clarify sentence structure. From the open-

ended question, some of the respondents reported that grammar is one of the difficult courses

that cannot be understood if they always use L2, so they preferred for their teacher to using

L1 then the difficult grammatical points can be explained clearly. When their teachers are

using L1 and it will be easier for the students to understand (Questionnaires, Question 5, 13

June 2019).

The responses from the respondents also the same with Kalanzadeh et al. (2013) study.

Based on their study, some materials in grammar class are hard to explain in the target

language. Therefore, L1 enables teachers to convey the material with a better and clear

explanation. Another reason also came up from student 39:

“In Indonesia context, learning grammar would be easier if we use L1 besides English

because English is our target language, not our L2” (Student 39, Questionnaires, Question 5,

13 June 2019).

Based on her opinion, we can conclude that she preferred the teacher to include L1 in

explaining the difficult grammatical points because L1 has straight to the point meaning that

can make her understand easier. That is why the students tended to choose L1 to make them

understand easier during lessons in grammar class.

Meanwhile, different from statement 4 and 5, half of the respondents chose neutral for

the other questions (see statement 6 and 7). (50%) or 22 out of 44 respondents thought that it

is ok if their teacher uses L1 or L2 when asking the question to the students. Then, (52%) or

23 out of 44 respondents seem felt fine if their teachers are using both languages in

responding to the students’ question. It can be seen from the reports of statement 6 and 7

open-ended questions. The students mentioned that they chose neutral because it is not a

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problem for them if their teacher using both languages in the grammar class for asking

questions and responding to their question (Questionnaires, Question 6 & 7, 13 June 2019).

In line with some students, another student also gave a reason why both of languages is

needed in the grammar class:

“The teacher has to use English to give example and also support the students to make them

confident with English. Besides that, the teacher has to give an understanding in L1”

(Student 27, Questionnaire, 13 June 2019).

In statement 8, correction seen as an important part of learning grammar. If the students

are continually making mistakes, they cannot go out from the dark side. It is also a teacher’s

concern to choose the language used when giving a correction to the students to make the

students are not in the same mistake. 40 of 44 students chose to agree or strongly agree (48%)

and neutral (43%) for the statement (no.8) which I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving

correction in grammar class. 21 out of 44 respondents chose to agree or strongly agree

because L1 can make them know what mistakes they have done, it is also to avoid L2

misunderstanding (Questionnaires, Question 8, 13 June 2019). From their reason, it can be

seen that L1 is the language that has an important role to avoid mistakes and also

misunderstanding. The rest, 19 out of 44 respondents more likely to chose neutral for this

statement. They feel they still understand either the teacher is using L1 or L2 for giving the

correction in grammar classroom, and it also depends on the situation, if they still do not

understand when their teacher is using L2, then they will ask the teacher to explain the

correction in L1. (Questionnaires, Question 8, 13 June 2019).

In a classroom, a teacher will definitely give some instruction for the students. Either

the teacher is asking the students to do the exercise or answer the teacher’s question. For the

last statement of this category (statement 9), (39%) or 17 out of 44 respondents preferred to

choose neutral for their teacher to use L1 when giving basic instruction because, in their

opinion, it is teacher’s option whether they want to use L1 or L2 in giving instruction

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(Questionnaires, Question 9, 13 June 2019). In here the students seem to have no problem

with the language use that used by their teacher for giving instruction.

Different from the respondents who chose neutral, (36%) or 16 out of the respondents

had a different point of view of the language used in grammar class especially in giving

instruction, they disagree or strongly disagree with L1 use when their teacher is giving basic

instruction in grammar class. It can be proven from the students’ reasons in the open-ended

question. They concluded that it is better if the teacher keeps using English because it is only

for basic instruction. (Questionnaires, Question 9, 13 June 2019) They tended to choose

English beside Indonesia because they thought that L2 use is still easy to understand for basic

instruction in grammar class.

Table 3. Teacher’s Management Talk

No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot

10. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for

disciplining in grammar class.

11% 21% 32% 48% 15% 5% 20%

11. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for

socializing in grammar class.

9% 36% 45% 35% 18% 2% 20%

As presented in the teacher’s management talk area above, L1 adequate to attract the

respondents’ attention. About almost half of the students (48%) or 21 out of the respondents

chose neutral that L1 use for disciplining is effective. Some of the students who chose neutral

pointed out that using L1 or L2 in the class for disciplining is not such a problem while it is

still understandable (Questionnaires, Question 10, 13 June 2019). One of the students also

reported the reason why he chose neutral;

“I think it is still effective if we are using L2, except if the situation is not conducive”.

(Student 24, Questionnaire, 13 June 2019). From the respondents’ reason, it can be

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concluded that the use of L1 or not in grammar class is also effective for them.

Unfortunately, if the class situation is not conducive, L1 might be needed for disciplining

the students in the classroom.

Besides that, almost half of the students (45%) or 20 out of 44 respondents had a

positive perception of the effectiveness of using L1 for socializing in grammar class. They

expressed that the use of L1 can help them in learning and understand the use of grammar

while socializing in the classroom (Questionnaires, Question 11, 13 June 2019). L1 can assist

the students in making convenience in learning grammar because the use of L1 does not

make a gap between a teacher and the students. It can make a teacher and the students are

closer to each other.

In Spahiu (2013) study, he stated that “L1 helps the students feel comfortable and less

stressful in the EFL classroom” (p. 246). It means that the students will not feel afraid to

make a mistake and like to deliver ideas or speak up in the classroom.

Table 4. Impact of using L1

No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot

12. I think that too much the use of L1 in grammar class

can prevent a chance to develop my L2.

22.5%

22.5%

45%

32%

18%

5%

23%

13. I think too much use of L1 can make me difficult to

state a form or a meaning in English when I usually

say it in L1

14%

41%

55%

20%

25%

-

25%

In this cluster (Table 4), the respondents moderately to agree and strongly agree that too

much L1 use can be the negative impact on the students’ L2 learning. This finding is in line

with Hoff (2013). He stated that too much L1 use in the classroom can obstruct L2

acquisition. (45%) or 20 out of 44 respondents agree or strongly agree that overuse of L1 in

17

the class can prevent a chance to develop their L2. The reason why they more likely to chose

to agree or strongly agree because they thought that there is no chance for them to show their

English skills if they always use L1 in the classroom, they will not be able to get used to

using L2 (Questionnaires, Question 12, 13 June 2019).

When a student and a teacher overuse L1 in the classroom, student’s L2 acquisition will

be bothered. It will make them to difficult to think in L2 . As we can see that (55%) or 24 out

of 44 respondents preferred chose to agree and strongly agree for the statement I think that

too much use of L1 can make them difficult to state a form or meaning in English when they

usually say it in L1. Strong supports came from students’ opinion that learning a language is

easy if they get used to using it and in order to adept in using the language, they should keep

practice it (Questionnaires, Question 13, 13 June 2019).

Table 5. Motivation

No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot

14. I get motivated when the teacher is using L1 in

grammar class

7% 23% 30% 47% 16% 7% 23%

15. I tend to engage more when my teacher is using L1 in

grammar class.

5% 20% 25% 55% 18% 2% 20%

On the overall motivation section, these statements are related to the previous cluster

(no. 5 and 8) that L1 as a mediator for the teacher to give clear explanation and correction of

the grammar lesson. When the teacher is using L1 for explanation and correction, it promotes

a comfortable environment which the students get motivated to understand the lesson without

confusion and fear of misunderstanding. L1 use in grammar class also motivates the learners

and can make them more active during the teaching and learning process.

18

From the table, they neutrally get motivated and engaged more in the classroom if their

teacher is using L1 in grammar classroom. (47%) or as many as 21 out of 44 respondents

were neutral for the statement (no.14) I get motivated when the teacher is using L1 in

grammar class. According to them, they were neutral because they mentioned that it depends

on the situation if they feel confused when their teacher is using L2, but she/he also give the

explanation with L1 after L2, the students are motivated to understand the lesson also make

them comfortable to learn grammar in the class, (Questionnaires, Question 14, 13 June 2019).

Similar to the previous statement, more than half of the respondents (55%) or 24 of 44

respondents slightly neutral for the statement (no.15) which I tend to engage more when my

teacher is using L1 in grammar class. Most of 24 students said L1 use is not affecting them at

all for engaging more in the classroom, it is depends on their mood. (Questionnaires,

Question 15, 13 June 2019).

This finding shared similar results with the study by Laura M (2016). The result of her

study showed that most of the students had a fine feeling when their teacher is using L1 in the

classroom because the teacher can understand the students better, it makes the students be

able to express their ideas confidentially, make them comfortable in learning target language,

and also, they felt more supported to engage more in the classroom.

Table 6. Time-saving

No. Statements SA A Tot N DA SDA Tot

16. I think the use of L1 can make me understand the

material(s) more quickly in grammar class.

16% 43% 59% 36% 5% - 5%

L1 does not only make the students understand the lesson easier, but L1 also make the

students learn the grammar quickly. As illustrated in table 6, we can see that most of the

19

respondents (59%) or 26 out of 44 students were agreed or strongly agree that L1 can make

the students understand the material(s) quickly in grammar class.

Sometimes, when a teacher explains the grammar using L2, there will be a student(s)

who do not understand, then the teacher will explain in L1 to make them understand about

the lesson but not wasting time. In the same line, Demir (2012) stated that L1 is should be

used in the EFL classroom for explanations to avoid time-wasting. While slightly

respondents, 16 of 44 respondents or (36%) were neutral for this statement and only a few

(5%) or 2 of 44 respondents who disagree that L1 can help them understand the material(s)

quickly in grammar class.

CONCLUSION

In teaching the target language, the teachers might have their ways to deliver the

material in relation to how they use L1 and L2. The main areas that discussed in this study

were: language preference, teacher’s instructional talk, teacher’s management talk, the impact

of using L1, motivation, and also time-saving. The objective of this study is to find out the

students’ perception of the teacher’s L1 use in grammar class.

The results from the study showed that the students agreed that their teacher has to

include L1 use in grammar class because L1 was seen to have advantages for the students. L1

as an effective tool for clarifying meanings and explaining difficult grammar points to make

the students understand the lesson clearly and quickly. Other than that, L1 also afford comfort

circumstance in the classroom in order to make the students not feel afraid to make a mistake

in learning grammar.

Despite the fact that L1 is beneficial for the students, L1 overuse is not good for

learning L2 grammar. The students did not prefer the idea of L2 overuse because they

20

thought that the overuse of L1 can prevent their L2 acquisition. In conclusion, a teacher

should include L1 use besides the use of L2 in grammar class to clarifying meanings and

explaining difficult sentence structure. Moreover, the overuse of L1 is not required in

grammar class. By investigating 44 students’ perception towards the use of L1 in grammar

class, the results are expected to help instructors or teachers in evaluating their language use

in teaching grammar.

This study still has limitations in investigating the students’ perception toward teacher’s

L1 use in grammar class. From my recommendation, I suggest further research on this topic

to use the interview or other kinds of instruments for collecting the data. Thus, there will be

new information on the students’ perception toward their teacher’s L1 use in grammar class

for interesting findings.

21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of foremost, let me be thankful to my God and only Savior, Jesus Christ who

always gives his blessings in my life. Without his strength, I could not finish this thesis and

also could not survive when difficulties hit me. I also thank my beloved parents, Reddy

Sailam Sumurung Simanjuntak and Risma Manik as well as my older brother, Andy and my

older sister, Martha for their prayer, support and motivate me during my study.

I would also like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Elisabeth Titik

Murtisari, M. TranStud for her support, feedback in guiding and motivating me to finish this

thesis which is helpful and also beneficial for me. From her, I can learn more about the steps

of how to be a good writer. Also, I would like to thank my thesis examiner, Anita Kurniawati,

M.Hum. who wants to examine and give correction and suggestions for my thesis.

Not forget to mention, I also would like to say thank you to my boyfriend for your

time to support me throughout the process of writing this thesis and remind me to finish this

study on time. Then, to my beloved friends, Reborn Gang in my hometown, thanks for all of

your support. Also my beloved friends: Anne, Nathasa, Maya, Hulda, and also Godelva who

have helped me and gave some advice and suggestions during my study. Then, thanks to all

of my friends batch 2015 for the memories that all of you have done with me in this faculty.

Last but not least, thank you to the respondents for the questionnaire that have been answered

for this thesis. There are many people whom I may not be able to mention one by one, but I

would like to say thank you for everyone who has prayed and helped me during the

procession from the beginning until the end of my study in Faculty Language and Arts,

UKSW. Once again, thanks to all of you guys! God bless.

22

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APPENDIX

Appendix 1 – Questionnaire

Questionnaire about Students’ Perception

Toward Teacher’s L1 Use in Grammar Class

Dear participant,

My name is Yashinta Yuny Tama. I am collecting data for my thesis on students’

perception toward teacher’s L1 use in grammar class. Could you please answer the questions

below honestly based on your opinion(s) and experience(s) regarding Intermediate Grammar

class in this faculty? I would appreciate if you could write down your phone number or email

in case I need further clarification regarding your answers. Your personal data will be

confidentially treated (dilindungi kerahasiaannya). Your responses will not affect your grades

in this class. Thank you for your consent in completing the questionnaire.

SA = Strongly Agree

A = Agree

N = Neutral

DA = Disagree

SDA = Strongly Disagree

*State whether you strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree or strongly disagree by putting a

tick mark (✓) on one of the columns.

Note:

*L1 refers to Bahasa Ibu / Bahasa Indonesia

*L2 refers to English

No. Statements SA A N DA SDA

Language Preference (Pilihan Bahasa)

1. I think the use of L1 (Bahasa Indonesia) is important in grammar class.

Saya pikir penggunaan bahasa ibu sangatlah penting di dalam kelas

grammar.

2. I think it is better for teachers to teach using L1 more in grammar class.

26

Saya pikir akan lebih baik jika guru untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu lebih

banyak dalam mengajar di dalam kelas grammar.

3. I am more comfortable when my teacher is using L1 in grammar class.

Saya lebih nyaman ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu di dalam kelas

grammar.

Teacher’s Instructional Talk (Pembicaraan Instruksional Guru, bersifat pengajaran,

petunjuk, penerangan)

4. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when reviewing material(s) in grammar class.

Saya lebih suka guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika meninjau

kembali materi di dalam kelas grammar.

5. I think it is very effective when my teacher uses L1 for clarifying difficult

grammatical points in grammar class.

Saya pikir akan sangat efektif ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu

untuk menjelaskan grammar yang sulit di dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................... .

6. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when asking questions about the material(s) in

grammar class.

Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika bertanya

tentang materi di dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................... .

7. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when responding to my question(s) in grammar

class.

Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika menjawab

pertanyaan saya di dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

8. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving correction in grammar class.

27

Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa pertama ketika

memberikan koreksi di dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

9. I prefer my teacher to use L1 when giving basic instructions in grammar

class. E.g : “Kerjakan tugas pada halaman 56”

Saya lebih suka guru saya untuk menggunakan bahasa ibu ketika

memberikan instruksi dasar di dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

Teacher’s Management Talk

10. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for disciplining in

grammar class.

Saya pikir akan sangat efektif ketika guru menggunakan bahasa ibu untuk

mendislipinkan siswa di dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

11. I think it is very effective when the teacher uses L1 for socializing in

grammar class.

Saya pikir akan sangat efektif ketika guru menggunakan bahasa ibu untuk

bersosialisasi di dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

Impact of using L1

12. I think that too much the use of L1 in grammar class can prevent a chance to

develop my L2.

Saya pikir terlalu banyak penggunaan bahasa ibu dalam kelas grammar dapat

mencegah kesempatan untuk mengembangkan bahasa kedua saya.

28

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

13. I think too much use of L1 can make me difficult to state a form or a

meaning in English when I usually say it in L1

Saya pikir terlalu banyak penggunaan bahasa ibu dapat membuat saya

kesulitan untuk menyatakan bentuk atau makna dalam bahasa Inggris yang

biasanya saya ungkapkan dalam bahasa ibu

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

......................... ........................................................................................................ .

Motivation

14. I get motivated when the teacher is using L1 in grammar class.

Saya termotivasi ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu di dalam

kelas grammar.

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

15. I tend to engage more when my teacher is using L1 in grammar class.

Saya cenderung lebih terlibat ketika guru saya menggunakan bahasa ibu di

dalam kelas grammar.

Why ?

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................. .

Time-saving

16. I think the use of L1 can make me understand the material(s) more quickly

in grammar class.

Saya pikir menggunakan bahasa ibu akan membuat saya lebih mengerti

materi dengan lebih cepat di dalam kelas grammar.

BIODATA:

a. Umur : ..................................

29

b. Total IPK : ..................................

c. Jenis Kelamin :

Laki-laki

Perempuan

Apakah anda bersedia untuk diwawancarai jika saya membutuhkan informasi terkait dengan jawaban

Anda?

Ya

Tidak

Jika Anda bersedia,

Nama : ........................................................................

NIM : ................................................. .......................

Nomor yang dapat dihubungi : ........................................................................

Alamat e-mail : ........................................................................

Thank you, God Bless You.