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THE L1 IN L2 LEARNING: TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES. Yanan Song and Stephen Andrews. Munich, Germany: Lincom Europa, 2008. Pp. iv + 227.

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THE L1 IN L2 LEARNING: TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES. Yanan Song and Stephen Andrews. Munich, Germany: Lincom Europa, 2008. Pp. iv + 227.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2010

Xiaoqing Chen
Xiaoqing Chen*
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
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Book Notices
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , September 2010 , pp. 515
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

The role of first-language (L1) use in a second-language (L2) classroom has long been controversial. This book contributes to this issue by reporting a case study that examined the beliefs and practices of L2 teachers about their L1 use as a medium of instruction (MOI) and the factors that affected their beliefs and practices. Four Chinese-speaking teachers of L2 English from a university in China participated in this study, which spanned 1.5 years. Data were collected in three phases, and a variety of techniques, such as questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall, were employed to elicit data that tapped into these teachers’ beliefs concerning L1 use and their relation to classroom practice. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis revealed that (a) teachers’ pro-L1 or anti-L1 use in L2 teaching was mostly experience-based and had very little to do with the theoretical claims of the L1-L2 relationship, which the authors described at length in chapter 2; (b) teacher beliefs about MOI led to different prioritizations of teaching objectives; and (c) MOI practice was also affected by contextual factors other than teacher beliefs about MOI.

Given the importance of the L1-L2 relationship in L2 learning and teaching, this book makes a significant step forward in attempting to provide insightful evidence concerning this issue from the perspective of L2 teachers rather than theorists. Additionally, some innovations this study has made in terms of data-collection methods contribute to language belief research in general. For example, this study, unlike most previous belief studies, examined the external context as a potential factor that affects teachers’ practice. Furthermore, the use of various data-collection techniques helped explain the inconsistency between teacher belief and practice.

Given that this study was conducted in one specific context—namely, China—readers should be cautious about applying the findings to other L2 teaching contexts. Despite this limitation, however, this book is of value to readers interested in the issue of MOI and teacher education.