Investigating the Influence of Mother Tongue Usage in English Classes on the Writing Skills of Third-Year High School Students at Si M’hamed Bouguerra Secondary School, Beni- Slimane, Médéa

Abstract

The prevalence of language interference has become increasingly common among English as a foreign language learners. Students often employ their mother tongue as a tool to aid in the acquisition of the target language. This research aims to explore the impact of native language usage in English classes on the writing skills of students at Si M'hamed Bouguerra High School. The study seeks to identify significant findings derived from the utilization of the mother tongue in the classroom. To ensure the research's validity, a mixed methods approach was employed, involving the administration of questionnaires to both third-year high school students and their teachers. Additionally, students were requested to write short paragraphs. The collected results reveal that third-year secondary school students make various types of errors, stemming from both intralingual and interlingua and interlingual factors. Consequently, it is confirmed that the mother tongue (Arabic) serves as the primary cause of learners' errors.