first language use in kazakhstani efl classrooms: navigating pedagogical benefits and policy tensions

Debate persists over the place of students' first language (l1) in english-as-a-foreign-language (efl) classrooms, especially where english-only policies dominate multilingual contexts. while research increasingly documents the benefits of judicious l1 use, much evidence is self-reported and overlooks real-time classroom practice and policy constraints. this qualitative multiple-case study addresses that gap by analyzing how four experienced teachers in kazakhstani secondary schools integrate l1 and what shapes their decisions. forty lesson observations, complemented by pre-observation and stimulated-recall interviews, show that teachers employ kazakh or russian strategically to scaffold complex grammar and lexis, manage behavior, and forge affective rapport. brief switches often calm learners and untangle difficult points, yet participants worry that excessive l1 erodes vital english exposure. code-switching frequency reflects a network of influences: teachers' beliefs and language-learning histories, class size, proficiency distribution, and institutional rules. top-down english-only mandates rarely mesh with daily instructional realities, forcing educators to negotiate tensions in the moment. findings support a nuanced, context-responsive stance: flexible policy guidelines and professional development that legitimize selective l1 use and equip teachers with decision-making heuristics can better balance pedagogical benefits with immersion goals, strengthening bilingual education quality in kazakhstan and comparable multilingual regions. data were coded inductively and then synthesized across cases to reveal both convergent and divergent patterns of l1 deployment. the study contributes classroom-grounded evidence from an under-researched central asian context and invites policymakers to co-construct guidelines with practitioners. it also offers teacher educators concrete scenarios for training modules that rehearse the moment-by-moment language-choice decisions facing multilingual instructors.