Is There a Role for the Use of the L1 in an L2 Setting?

Abstract

Language learners are usually discouraged from using their shared L1 in L2 classroom activities. Brooks and Donato (1994) note that teachers are sometimes reluctant to use group work because they feel that students will use their L1 in group situations. A major motivation for this reluctance has been the widespread adoption of communicative approaches to language teaching in which classroom activities are designed to maximize learners' use of the target language.