Paper Title
Exploring Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives on The use of Arabic Language in Grades 11-12 EFL Classrooms in Oman an In-Depth Investigation of the EFL Pedagogy

Abstract
The debate over whether or not students’ first language (L1) should be usedin English language as foreign language (EFL) classrooms has been a controversial issue for a long time. This pedagogical debate is not only ongoing, but also questionable.This empirical study focuses on filling the gap in the existing literature related to the practical field of using Arabic language in Omani grades 11-12 EFL classrooms pedagogy. Exploring teachers’ and students’ perspectives and likely considerable reasons for applying Arabic while teaching and learning English. Understanding,why do EFL teachers and students in Oman tend to use Arabic, if they do, in their EFL classrooms? Moreover, in what pedagogical contexts they tend to use Arabic language. Are there any contradictions between teachers’ and students’ perceptions and practices in their classrooms?.The participants were composed of 50 male and female EFL teachers and 240 male and female students from 4 different governorates in Oman. A mixed method approach has been appliedin this study in order to deeply explore and understand this issue from a variety of different and larger perspectives. Therefore, data will be interpreted and analysed from both EFL teachers and students' responses using questionnaire, observation and semi-structured interviews. The expected outcomes of this study will help both teachers and learners to recognise the reasons behind their L1 using in EFL classrooms. For instance, teachers can use the pedagogical outcome(s) of research to adapt their effective classroom practices. Similarly, students might be able to eliminate their L1 use and eventually improve L2 learning process. The findings will also further assist educators, policy makers and administrators in fostering EFL pedagogical improvement in Omani English education.