The Importance of Mother Tongue in SLA Process in Lower Secondary Education (Albanian Case).

First language serves as a bridge, which bonds a learner with every other language. Learners must be aware of it's peculiarities and use them to facilitate their second language learning. First language influence and usage are important issues as they affect learners' second language development. This study represents the way Albanian learners use their first language when they deal with the second language and how teachers interpret this usage. This study combines theoretical information with concrete examples and ideas given by teachers themselves. The purpose of this paper is to identify the usage of mother tongue during English language classes. This issue was investigated through quantitative research. The instrument used for the measurement of this phenomenon is a questionnaire, which focuses on asking teachers about the usage of their first language in the second language lesson. It also focuses on establishing the instances of this usage, teachers' attitude toward translation and the effects of this on their students' second language communicative skills. This study was conducted in secondary schools, consisting in a sample of 40 teachers. Participants in this research are teachers of 9th grade because their everyday use of English allows instances of investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]