Code-switching Of English Teachers In Vocational Colleges

Code-switching(CS)has become a popular topic in the field of linguistic research in recent years. How to use CS between the native language and the target language to promote foreign language teaching has become a teaching and research focus. And the function of code switching in EFL class in vocational colleges is particularly significant.Vocational education in China has gradually risen up from the late 20th century, and after ten years'development, it has now become an unignorable part of higher education in China. With the popularity of vocational colleges, vocational English has also become a new public course. Compared with the students in universities, vocational college students are weaker in English competence. English teachers can not teach effectively or even can not complete teaching tasks in full-English, so teachers'code-switching between English and Chinese becomes a common phenomenon in EFL class of vocational colleges.The aim of the thesis is to discuss the types and influence of English/Chinese code-switching of the English teachers in vocational colleges, and then find the appropriate models of code-switching in the EFL class in vocational colleges, which will not only enable the majority of students to follow and understand the content of the class as much as possible, but also improve students'listening and speaking abilities in English.The data is collected through classroom observation, recordings, student questionnaire and teacher interviews in vocational colleges. Then analysis is carried out with both qualitative approach and quantitative approach under Myers-Scotton's Markedness Model. Qualitative approach is used to analyze the types and purposes of English teachers'CS by class observation and teacher interviews. The quantitative approach is used to analyze the frequency of CS input of the native language in EFL class by class recordings and observation, and summarize the influence of teachers'CS as well as students'attitudes towards it according to the results of student questionnaire.Through investigation, it is found that the language competence of the students in vocational colleges is lower than the ones in universities, which results in the teachers'much input of the mother tongue and frequent code-switching in EFL class. However, most CS is used as a helpful strategy for certain teaching aims, such as for translation, for ambiguity-avoidance, for emphasis, for active atmosphere, for understanding-facilitating, etc. Most of these types of CS are accepted by students. However, English teachers also admit that it is necessary to limit the frequency of CS as well as the input of the native language and try to use much English as possible, in order to improve their listening and speaking abilities.Six chapters are concluded in the thesis: Chapter One introduces the significance, methodology and the structure of the thesis; Chapter Two reviews the types and approaches of CS as well as studies about CS in EFL classrooms; Chapter Three talks about the theoretical framework—the Markedness Model; the design of the study is introduced in Chapter Four; and the results are analyzed with both quantitative approach and qualitative approach in Chapter five; At last, some pedagogical implications for EFL teaching in vocational colleges are concluded according to the findings of the present study, although there are still certain limitations.