Unlocking the Potential of Translanguaging: Teachers' perspectives to Maximize Learner Outcomes

That First Language (L1) facilitates Foreign Language Learning is a debatable issue in the field of language pedagogy. This field has evidence for and against using L1 in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, showing positive and negative learning outcomes. Behind this controversy, the current study investigates teachers' attitudes regarding using L1 in EFL classrooms in Saudi contexts and whether or not language teachers think it aids or improves students' performance. The study sought to provide teachers of EFL with a perspective on monolingual and Translanguaging approaches. Thus, it investigated how English language instructors at Saudi universities view the role of Arabic in English language learning/teaching. The data were collected through questionnaires, class observation, and interviews. The participants were 104 teachers of English from different Saudi Universities with varied ethnic backgrounds, and subsequently, three participants were chosen to observe their classes twice and, afterward, follow-up semi-structured interviews. The data from the questionnaire was submitted to SPSS for data analysis, and the data from the interviews were transcribed and analyzed manually with the assistance of computational devices. A classroom observation checklist was used to triangulate the findings of the questionnaire. This study indicated that teachers believe frequent English exposure is the best way to teach it. In addition, the study suggests that the L1 is useful for explicit learning and reduces anxiety, thereby assisting students in adjusting to the Foreign Language environment.