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Traditional ELT approaches usually encourage teachers to use English as much as possible in the classroom. However, I believe that the careful and limited use of students’ first language (L1) can be helpful, especially in multilingual EFL classrooms. Based on my classroom experience and the views of other EFL teachers, L1 is mainly used to explain grammar and vocabulary, give clear instructions, and help students understand meaning. Many teachers see this use of L1 as helpful for better comprehension and for reducing students’ stress and anxiety. At the same time, there are concerns that too much use of L1 may make students dependent on it and reduce their exposure to English.

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Brief information on the research context

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Brief information on the research context

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This exploratory action research was conducted in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching in Uzbekistan, where learners typically share a common first language (Uzbek or Russian) and have limited exposure to English outside the classroom. The study focused on secondary and tertiary educational settings, drawing on the perspectives of practicing EFL teachers. The research was motivated by ongoing pedagogical debates around “English-only” policies and the need to better understand how teachers make context-sensitive language-use decisions in real classrooms.

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Research questions and data collection tools

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Research questions and data collection tools

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Research questions:

1. How frequently do EFL teachers use learners’ first language (L1) in their classrooms, and for what purposes?

2. What beliefs do teachers hold regarding the advantages and disadvantages of L1 use in second language learning?

3. Is there a relationship between the frequency of L1 use and teachers’ perceptions of its pedagogical usefulness?

Data collection tools:

An online questionnaire administered to 31 EFL teachers

Likert-scale items measuring frequency and contexts of L1 use

Perception-based items examining beliefs about learning impact

Open-ended questions allowing teachers to reflect on benefits and risks of L1 use

The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative descriptive and correlational analysis with qualitative thematic analysis.

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Research questions and data collection tools

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The findings indicate that L1 use is a common and strategic practice rather than an unprincipled one. Teachers reported using L1 mainly for:

grammar explanation

vocabulary clarification

task instruction

explanation of complex or culturally specific concepts

Teachers generally perceived L1 use as beneficial for comprehension, confidence, and emotional support, particularly for lower-level learners. At the same time, they expressed awareness of potential drawbacks, such as learner dependence on L1 and reduced opportunities for meaningful English interaction. Importantly, the study identified a positive relationship between the frequency of L1 use and teachers’ perceptions of its usefulness, suggesting that beliefs and classroom practices are closely interconnected.

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Reflections on doing exploratory action research and being mentored

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Reflections on doing exploratory action research and being mentored

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Conducting exploratory action research was a valuable professional learning experience, as it encouraged systematic reflection on everyday classroom practices rather than reliance on fixed methodological assumptions. The process helped me move from intuitive decision-making toward evidence-informed pedagogical reflection, particularly in relation to language choice and learner support.

Being mentored during this process was especially important. Mentorship supported the development of research design skills, ethical awareness, and analytical thinking, and helped me frame classroom-based observations within wider SLA and ELT research discussions. Overall, the experience strengthened my identity as a reflective practitioner and counsellor-oriented educator, capable of critically examining practice and using research to improve student support and learning outcomes.