Using the mother tongue in teaching and learning specialized terminology – A case of business English courses at the tertiary level

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the attitudes of non-native English-speaking students of business and economics towards the use of Slovene as the mother tongue in the acquisition of specialized business and economics related terms in English. The research questions posed in this paper address the students’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness and necessity of the teachers’ use of Slovene to explain specialized terms in English and their use of Slovene when learning specialized terms. The present study was quantitative, with data being gathered via a questionnaire. 174 students of economics and business participated in the survey. The results of our analysis are of value to Business English teachers and as they suggest ways in which students’ mother tongue may be used in teaching and learning of specialized terminology in English.