When looking back into whether or not a students L1 is incorporated into the L2 classroom the resounding answer was NO. We then jump forward to the 21st Century where L1 use has become a more controversial and researched area of language learning and teaching.
One of the main reason that the L1 is often used in classrooms is to help scaffold (support) a students language learning, as well as create a collaborative dialogue opportunity that allows language acquisition to take place. All of which enables a second language to be acquired and retained.
In the following sections both the teachers and students attitudes and perspectives towards L1 use in the L2 classroom will be shown, as well as highlighting different research that has been conducted on this topic.