Using Spanish in English language chilean classrooms? Perspectives from EFL teacher trainees

Abstract

This article presents a study which explores perceptions of Chilean future teachers of English as a foreign language regarding the usage of Spanish as l1 in English lessons. The participants belong to first-and fourth-year levels of their programs at four universities located throughout Chile. The data collection tool was Mohebbi and Alavi’s (2014) Likert questionnaire, along with an open questions section. The data were subjected to descriptive statistical analyses and mean difference tests. The results indicate that the participants would use Spanish in the English class mainly for two reasons: (1) for pedagogical-didactic purposes and (2) to maintain the student-teacher relationship. The study concludes that there are no statistically significant differences in regard to the course-level year the subjects are enrolled in or regarding the university with which they are affiliated.