Abstract

Many English as a Foreign language (EFL) teachers think that a target language should be solely used as a medium of instruction to allow the learners to immerse in the target language. However, in the learning process, the learners learn about the language content and other cognitively-related skills such as discussion, reasoning, and evaluation to complete the tasks. Some tasks could be more challenging to understand, discuss, explain, or complete in learners’ foreign language because they might need higher competence and fluency in the target language. This article attempts to review socioculturally informed research on the use of L1 in L2 or EFL classes and the features of English as a foreign language. The advantages of utilizing L1 in EFL courses will next be covered. The article will conclude with some advice that EFL teachers might utilize to increase their students’ productivity in EFL classes by utilizing L1 as a supporting tool for language learning.

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