A Study Of Teachers' Code-switching In EFL Intensive Reading Classes

Since the 1960s, linguistic researchers and educators have heatedly discussed and persistently explored the issue of whether it is advisable to use the native language in foreign language teaching and learning. Although there is increasing awareness of the important roles L1 (the first language) plays despite its many drawbacks, the prevailing EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching strategy adopted domestically nowadays seems to play up pure L2 (the second language) input; furthermore, the issue apparently has rarely received attention from linguists and educators in China. Therefore, the present research is carried out among teachers and their non-English major students in Jilin University, with the aim to investigate the real situations of teachers'code-switching, students'attitudes towards code-switching and factors that may govern teachers'code-switching and ultimately generate probable implications for English language teaching and learning in China.The research analyzed teachers'code-switching through student questionnaires, classroom recordings and teacher interviews from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The results suggest that students generally favor teachers'switching to Chinese, believing it facilitates their comprehension; students specifically have different ideas as to teachers'Chinese use in different aspects; students'majors and education levels other than genders are ranked in terms of the ideal frequency of teachers'code-switching according to students; teachers'code-switching is correlated with students'education levels and leaves far from teachers'years of teaching, genders and educational background; moreover, teachers code-switch to adapt to the linguistic reality, teachers'roles and psychological intentions. These findings provide some implications: teachers should, taking into account students'education levels and majors, speak Chinese when necessary but meanwhile make input comprehensible through verbal modifications and nonverbal ways. Since teachers may sometimes be unconscious of their real code-switching, videotaping or recordings are recommended for improving their consciousness for better EFL teaching.