Learners’ Perception on the Use of L1 (Bahasa Indonesia) in English as Foreign Language Classroom

Abstract

This study aimed to explore how students' perception about the teaching-learning processes in their EFL classroom using their first language (Bahasa Indonesia). A questionnaire was used as the instrument in this quantitative study. 30 students from MTs Muhammadiyah 01 Pekanbaru junior high schools participated in this study. Students were given questionnaires, which were then rated on a Likert scale of 1-4. Data analysis shows that teachers mostly speak English in class and just occasionally use Indonesian. Students agree to the teacher's use of Indonesian when necessary. Students also agree that they may speak Indonesian during the lesson. The use of Indonesian encourages students to be more enthusiastic about learning English. The results show that students improve their English when they use it frequently in class. All of the students agree that the more English they use, the better it gets.