Iranian EFL University Lecturers’ and Learners’ Attitude towards Using First Language as a Scaffolding Tool in Reading Comprehension

The role of EFL lecturers’ first language (L1) in the EFL courses has been an ongoing debate. A monolingual  approach to  EFL suggests  that the use of the target  language solely in foreign  language  (FL)  classroom  improves  learning  of  the  target  language.  Accordingly,  the purpose of the present study was to investigate the attitude of Iranian lecturers and EFL learners towards  using  L1  as  a  scaffolding  tool  in  reading  comprehension.  As  such,  a  mixed  method design was employed and the data were collected from a sample of 80 Iranian EFL students and 15 lecturers. The quantitative data were collected through two questionnaires and the qualitative data  were  gathered  using  a  semi-structured  interview  guided  by  the  research  objectives.  The findings revealed that the participants perceived the use of L1 (Persian) as a scaffolding tool in their  EFL  classrooms  and  it  was  used  to  serve  a  number  of  purposes:  to  explain  complex grammar,  to  translate  new  words,  to  define  concepts,  and  to  help  each  other  in  their  groups. Moreover,  lecturers  believed  that  L1  helps  learners’  improve  EFL  learners’  reading comprehension. It can be concluded that L1 can be utilized as a scaffolding strategy by learners and lecturers in facilitating their learning and it can be used as a pedagogical tool by the EFL learners to enhance their learning experiences as well as to maximize their engagement in the classroom.