Strategic First-Language Use in Adult ESOL: Learners’ Perceptions in UK Further Education (Published)
The role of learners’ first language (L1) in English language teaching remains widely debated, particularly within multilingual adult ESOL classrooms. While previous research has focused largely on teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices, comparatively little attention has been given to adult learners’ perspectives. This study explored adult ESOL learners’ perceptions of strategic first-language use in a UK Further Education college. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight adult ESOL learners and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that participants viewed strategic L1 use as a valuable pedagogical resource that supported comprehension, language learning and classroom participation when used purposefully. Learners also demonstrated agency by making informed judgements about when and how L1 should be used and perceived its role as developmental, with reliance decreasing as English proficiency increased. The findings support flexible, context-sensitive multilingual pedagogy and have implications for ESOL teaching, teacher education and institutional language policy.
Keywords: Strategic first-language use, UK further education, adult ESOL, learner agency, multilingual pedagogy, thematic analysis