Using the L1 sensibly in English language classrooms

Even with the belief "Teaching English through English" in mind, teachers in Hong Kong still find it necessary to use their mother tongue to assist in the teaching of English language (L2) because, as they claim, standard of students is low and class discipline is poor. Four pre-service English teacher-trainees were asked to keep journals and do audio-recordings during their 2-month teaching practice period. Each student-teacher chose a particular class at either upper primary or junior secondary levels and kept records for 8 English lessons they taught. The journals kept by the diarists, their classroom discourse and a face-to face interview with the researcher were then analyzed with a view to answer: (1) What were the situations which rendered the use of the L1 necessary for the student-teachers? (2) How did the student-teachers use Cantonese in the English language classrooms? (3) What was the student-teachers' decision-making process regarding the alternation of language codes in the English language classrooms?
香港的英語教師，縱使對以英語教授英語這原則不作異議，但要貫徹實行，亦恐怕有心無力。事實上，面對學生英語水平低落，課室秩序不佳等種種問題，很多英語教師都感到使用母語來輔助英語教學是必須的。這項研究，以四個接受職前訓練的英語教師為個案。在兩個月的實習期內，每個教師均自由選定他們所教的一班作日誌紀錄，把每課中使用母語的情況記下，並同時把其中八課錄音，之後更與研究員進行一次面對面的傾談。資料整理所得，旨在探究以下問題：
（一）是甚麼情況促使教師在英語課堂內使用母語？（二）教師如何使用母語？（三）教師在決定中、英語交替時，所作的考慮是甚麼？Copyright © 1996 香港中文大學香港教育研究所.