The Use of 'Only English' in a Learner-Centred University Classroom in Japan

Abstract

Language learning pedagogy makes many claims about the use of the students' mother tongue (MT) in monolingual classrooms, but only rarely makes any references to what the students in our classrooms themselves believe or feel they need. Tertiary education has to make teaching accountable to the needs of the students, and to recognise that all participants in the classroom have a legitimate interest in educational activity. This paper examines students' beliefs about when the English 'conversation' teacher should use the students' mother tongue, and the findings suggest that students have well defined opinions about the use and usage of the target language (TL). They recognize that communicative lessons with native speakers should be conducted in the TL, while reserving the right to ask about usage through the MT, thus creating a more relaxed, humanistic classroom where they can freely express themselves.