“Code-switching in Language Classroom”
Author:
Dianave D. Tangog
I. Introduction
Code-switching is frequently used in language classrooms. There are some research studies that recorded the frequency of code-switching utterances of students and teachers. Heather Coffey defined code-switching as the practice of moving between variations of languages in different contexts. Everyone who speaks has learned to code-switch depending on the situation and setting. In an educational context, code-switching is defined as the practice of switching between a primary and a secondary language or discourse .The question of when did code-switching in language classroom begin seems to be impossible to determine though there are studies dated on the 1970’s about code-switching (e.g. McClure, E. and Wentz, J. 1975).
Borlongan (2009) analyzed the recorded and transcribed discourses of a total of 14 English language classes in Metro Manila and figured out the frequency and forms of code-switching that they uttered. Her study revealed that most of the English language teachers committed code-switching and the students also have their share of code-switching. There are a total of 2, 367 codeswitching utterances among students and teachers of five classes including three break periods in the research study of Metila (2009). She grouped her frequency count according to Poplack’s (1980) code-switching types. Metila (2009) diverge her findings that interesentential code-switching got the most frequent utterance among all types of code-switches from an observation (Berk-Seligson) that intrasentential most often accounts 63% or the highest percentage of utterances of all the switches.
Occurrence of code-switching could have a positive effect to student’s learning and comprehension in the class. One of the reasons why teachers code-switch in classroom is to help the students understand their lessons. Code-switching fosters a positive learning
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