A Study Of Teachers’ Code-switching In Senior High School English Class

Most of the studies on classroom code-switching concentrate on foreign language classes of higher education,and there are few studies on teachers’ code-switching in senior high school English classes.To this end,this study focuses on the real situation of teachers’ code-switching in high school English classrooms,with the objective of providing teachers a reference on how to use the language effectively.The research questions are as follows:(1)What are the types of code-switching used by teachers in senior high school English classrooms?(2)What are the functions of these code-switching used by teachers in senior high school English classrooms?(3)What are the motivations for teachers to use these code-switching in senior high school English classrooms?To address the research questions,this study analyzes teachers’ code-switching in English classrooms based on adaptation theory and Poplack’s classifications of codeswitching.The relevant subjects are the 32 English teachers from Nanning ASEAN High School.During the research process,methods such as classroom observation,questionnaires,and interviews were put into use.The results are as follows:(1)In terms of types,teachers used inter-sentential code-switching,inter-sentential code-switching,and tag-switching.And teachers of Grade Two used code-switching less frequently than those in Grade One.(2)In terms of function,most teachers are supportive of the functions of code-switching and used it to achieve three major functions: curriculum access,classroom management,and interpersonal relations.All three types of codeswitching serve mainly for curriculum access,followed by classroom management and interpersonal relations.(3)There were seven main motivations for teachers to use codeswitching in their lessons.They were adaptation to the lesson content,adaptation to the teacher’s role,creating humor,emphasizing emphasis,saving time,and adaptation to the student’s language proficiency and educational experience.Based on the above findings,this study recommends the following three implications.First,teachers should always prioritize the use of English in the English classroom by considering the grade level differences of their students.Second,teachers should have a pre-planned schedule of the situations and the functions of codeswitching before the lesson to avoid using code-switching aimlessly.Finally,teachers should scientifically evaluate students’ language proficiency and pay attention to the quantity of code-switching to ensure the quality of its use.