An examination of the beliefs and practices of four university teaching assistants of French toward target language usage in their classroom discourse

Foreign language educators have long debated the proper role for the use of English and the target language by classroom teachers. Advocates of a no-English policy argue that the use of English deprives students of the target language exposure necessary for language acquisition. In contrast, supporters of the use of English note a lack of research data that might substantiate the claims of advocates of exclusive target language use. Proponents of limited English use cite several instances in which teachers might find it valuable. They argue that researchers should pursue studies that examine how teachers use the two languages in instruction, and use the research results to evaluate its effectiveness in language learning.;This exploratory study analyzes the classroom language use of four university teaching assistants in first-year French classes at The University of Iowa. Analysis of the teaching assistants' classroom language revealed they all used English in their instruction, although they maintained that they would prefer to use the target language exclusively. They named a number of factors that reportedly impacted on their ability to use French exclusively: the students' level of familiarity with the material, student attitudes toward exclusive use of the target language and concern about the students' reactions to such language use, the influence of the instructional practices of the teaching assistants' own language teachers, the quantity of material and the amount of time available for classroom presentation, limited time for preparation for teaching, and the teaching assistants' pre-professional methodological training. The course coordinator maintained that the teaching assistants' inexperience was another important factor influencing language use. She contended that they often used English in response to difficulties to beginning teaching assistants, and that they would devise alternatives that involved greater use of French as they gained more classroom experience. Finally, this study offers suggestions for further research concerning teachers' beliefs and practices regarding classroom language use.