Self-reported L1-mediated strategies for receptive-skill development among polish-speaking multilingual philology students

Multilingual and plurilingual competences have become increasingly important for participation in education, culture, social life, and the labour market. Although multilingual learners’ use of their entire linguistic repertoire has been widely discussed, the role of learners’ first language (L1) as a self-reported resource supporting receptive-skill development remains underexplored, particularly in Polish philological studies. This paper presents findings from a study conducted at selected state universities in Poland involving 175 Polish-speaking multilingual students enrolled in English, German, French, and Russian philology programmes at different proficiency levels. The study examines students’ self-reported use of their mother tongue (L1 – Polish) as an L1-mediated strategy supporting receptive skills, specifically listening and reading. Rather than measuring linguistic transfer, interference, or acquisition effects, the research focuses on learners’ perceptions of their mother tongue as a cognitive, strategic, and affective resource in autonomous learning. The findings indicate that participants report using L1 to support receptive-skill development, with differences observed across philological groups. These distinctions should be interpreted cautiously, as they may also reflect programme specialization, language-learning experience, and other contextual factors rather than the target language itself. The findings reveal meaningful patterns relevant to foreign language teaching and provide insights into factors influencing learners’ educational experiences.