Exploring Middle School Teachers’ Code Switching in the Algerian EFL Classroom.

Abstract

In the foreign language classroom, English specifically, code switching refers to the use of more than one language to facilitate teaching, hence learning. The present study aims to investigate middle school teachers‟ use of code switching. In this research endeavour, we explored the extent to which teachers use other anguages in the English classroom, the motivations behind such use, and its influence on pupils‟ acquisition of English. In addition, an attempt is made to determine the teachers' and learners‟ attitudes towards and perceptions of the use of code switching in the English classroom. For this to obtain, four research questions were set forth: (1) when and why do English teachers code switch? (2) What are the teachers‟ attitudes and perceptions towards their own use of code switching? (3) What are the learner‟s perceptions towards the teachers‟ use of CS? and (4) what is the impact of the teachers‟ code switching on the students‟ acquisition of the English language? In order to answer the research questions, this descriptive exploratory study used a learners‟questionnaire and a teachers‟ interview. The random sampling technique was employed so that 103 fourth year pupils participated in this study along with 10 teachers. All of them belong to three middle schools. The results demonstrated the teachers‟ opposition to implementing code switching as a teaching strategy-although the majority of them rely on Algerian Arabic. Despite the multiple functions code switching serves in the classroom, teachers deem its frequent use to be harmful to the acquisition of English. Yet, most of the pupils feel comfortable with it. Indeed, lack of instructional aids and time restrictions along with the sense of security that code switching offers the learner are factors that direct teachers towards using it in the English sessions. Finally, the limitations and recommendations of this study were proposed.