The Use of First Language in the Second-Language Classroom

Critical Article Review
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Critical Article Review
Mara Salmona Madriñan's 2014 article "The Use of First Language in the Second-Language Classroom: A Support for Second Language Acquisition" outlines the significance of using the first language to teach learners in second-language classrooms. The article aims to identify the benefits of using the mother tongue when teaching, such as enhancing acquiring a second language. The article's findings reflected that students benefit when teachers use their first language since it transfers concepts from the first to the new second language. Undoubtedly, bilingualism teaching enhances understanding and the proficiency level of the second language.
The author used related literature with educational backgrounds. He used literature from research studies conducted in different bilingual schools. The research relates to education since students in varying schools quickly learn a new language when teachers use their first language (Madriñan, 2014). The origin of the conceptual framework of the article was the need to show the relationship between understanding concepts and teaching using English as the instruction language or using English and Spanish. The article's theoretical foundation incorporates bilingualism theories, where teachers value and incorporate two teaching languages. Bilingual teaching helps students gain the proficiency needed for cognitive development.
The author conducted the research at a private international bilingual learning institution in Bogotá. Madriñan (2014) selected kindergarten students aged four and six years as the participants. The selection criteria entailed exposure to English as a second language. The participants were Colombians with little to no exposure to the English language while preparing for elementary school. Additionally, at least one of their parents was conversant in English. The participants only knew some English words, like counting and colors. Nonetheless, the teacher used Spanish and English during their first school year. These students' details helped evaluate the article's goal of whether teaching using the first and second language enhanced learning more than when using the second language alone.
The author used an action research methodology and qualitative data collection methods. The author demonstrated the benefits of using the second and native languages concurrently in bilingual schools. The research question asked whether using the first language supports learning in a second language classroom to enhance kindergarteners' comprehension in their first school year (Madriñan, 2014). The first language is the learners' native or mother tongue (Spanish), while the second is the newly acquired language (English). The author failed to provide sources of the used protocol and questionnaires. Nevertheless, the action research methodology matches the author's research question well. The methodology tackled global school problems, including the need to give instructions using two languages. The study's limitations are delineated since the author used a short timeframe of six months, which can inte...