Switching Codes at Elementary Level: An Interview Based Study of English Language Teachers

Both monolingual and bilingual methods exist for L1 usage in teaching and studying English as a second/foreign language. The purpose of the study is to observe the views of elementary schools' English teachers about the use of the national language (in our context 'Urdu') in English class. Additionally, the researchers discover which circumstances triggered the teachers to abandon the English language and use Urdu. This research was completed at the Government elementary schools of Bahawalpur, Pakistan, with the teachers of English teaching at the elementary level. The study is descriptive. The data has been collected by conducting structured interviews. The data has been transcribed and analysed by arranging it into thematic categories. The data was collected from 14 teachers, both male and female. The results showed that participants had a neutral outlook on using their first language (L1) in helping them accomplish their second language learning. Based on the current understanding of how language learners acquire a second/foreign language and new findings, it is reasonable to conclude that learners' native language plays an indispensable and helpful role in learning a foreign language under certain circumstances.