Code-switching in EFL classrooms and the perceptions of the students and teachers
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the amount of code-switching in terms of sentential levels and initiation patterns, the discourse functions of code-switching, and the perceptions of the switchers. Accordingly, 43 students at the elementary level and four of their instructors in two EFL classrooms took part in the study. These participants were chosen through random sampling. Data were collected through observations, questionnaires to students and teachers, and interviews with a selected sample. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the triangulated data showed that students’ use of code-switching was rather high. Teachers’ code-switching was even higher than expected. In terms of initiation patterns, student-initiated code-switching was quite high whereas in terms of sentential levels, inter-sentential level was observed a little more than intra-sentential level. The analysis of discourse functions revealed that both the students and the teachers employed code-switching mostly for meta-language, which is a function used to talk about grammar or language tasks. The perceptions of all participants on code-switching overlapped in that they believed that it was a tool that fostered learning in beginner levels and could be used to attract attention or for jokes, yet should be abolished as the proficiency level increases.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Ariffin, K., & Rafik-Galea, S. (2009). Code-switching as a communication device in conversation. Language & Society Newsletter, 5. Retrieved from November 30, 2012, http://www.crisaps.org/newsletter/summer 2009/Ariffin.doc
Ataş, U. (2012). Discourse functions of students’ and teachers’ CS: A case study in a Turkish university. Unpublished MA thesis. METU, Social Science Institute, Ankara.
Auer, Peter (1984). Bilingual conversation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Auer, P. (Ed.). (1998). Code-switching in conversation: Language, interaction and identity. London: Routledge.
Boztepe, E. (2003). Issues in code-switching: competing theories and models. Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, 3(2), 1-27.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching. NY: Pearson Longman.
Cal, A., & Turnbull, M. (2007). Code-switching in Spanish/English bilingual speech: The case of two recent immigrants of Mexican descent. Working Papers in TESOL Applied Linguistics, 7(2), 1-52.
Cantone, K. (2007). Code-switching in bilingual children. Dordrecht: Springer.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & K. Morrison. (2007). Research methods in education (6th ed.). London & New York: Routledge.
Dahl, T. I., Rice, C., Steffensen, M., Amundsen, L. (2010). Is It Language Relearning or Language Reacquisition? Hints from a Young Boy’s CS during His Journey Back to His Native Language. International Journal of Bilingualism. 14(4), 490-510.
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Eldridge, J. (1996). Code-switching in a Turkish secondary school. Oxford ELT Journal, 50(4), 303-311. DOI:10.1093/elt/50.4.303
Gabusi, V. (2009). Code-switching uses: The focus on the teacher. Applied analysis in a high school context. Retrieved on November 25, 2012 from http://www.facli.unibo.it/NR/rdonlyres/36CF5E3C-A2FB4D24-B4D8BDC2029D2319/81457/TesinadiValentinaGabusi.pdf
Gardner-Chloros, P. (2009). Code-switching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gumperz, John J. (1982). Discourse strategies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hobbs, V., Matsuo, A., & Payne, M. (2010). CS in Japanese language classrooms: An exploratory investigation of native vs. non-native speaker teacher practice. Linguistics and Education, 21, 44–59.
Huang, Y.-P. P. (2008). Language use of beginning students in a Taiwanese English immersion preschool. Retrieved on November 11, 2012 from http://paperedu.org/docs/index-12606.html.
Hughes, C. E., Shauness, E. S., & Brice, A.R. (2006). Code-switching among bilingual and limited English proficient students: Possible indicators of giftedness. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 30(1), 7-28.
Labov, W. (1971). The notion of ‘system’ in Creole languages. In D. Hymes, Pidginization and creolization of languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Krashen, S. (1987). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Prentice-Hall International.
Macizo, P. Bajo, T. & Paolieri, D. (2012). Language switching and language competition. Second Language Research, 28(2), 131-149. DOI: 10.1177/0267658311434893.
Milroy, L., & Muysken, P. (1995). Introduction: CS and bilingualism research. In L. Milroy & P. Muysken (Eds.), One speaker two languages: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on CS (pp. 1-14). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Momenian, M., Samar, R. G. (2011). Functions of CS among Iranian advanced and elementary teachers and students. Educational Research and Reviews, 6(13), 769-777.
Moore, D. (2002). Case study: CS and learning in the classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 5: 279–293.
Myers-Scotton, C. (1989). CS with English: Types of switching, types o communities. World Englishes, 8(1), 333-346.
Polio, C. G., & Duff, P. A. (1994). Teachers’ language use in university foreign language classrooms: A qualitative analysis of English and target language alternation. The Modern Language Journal, 78(3), 313-326.
Poplack, S. (1980). Sometimes I'll start a sentence in Spanish y termino en Español: Toward a typology of code-switching. Linguistics, 18, 581-618.
Reyes, I. (2004). Functions of code-switching in schoolchildren's conversations. Bilingual Research Journal: The Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education, 28(1), 77-98.
Saville-Troike, M. (1982). The ethnography of communication: An introduction. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Sridhar, S. N. & Sridhar, K. K. (1980). The syntax and psycholinguistics of bilingual code-switching. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 34, 407-416.
Üstünel, E., & Seedhouse, P. (2005). Why that, in that language, right now? CS and pedagogical focus. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(3), 302-325.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
ISSN 1305-578X (Online)
Copyright © 2005-2022 by Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies