| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the usage of code-switching (CS), from English to Arabic, in bilingual classrooms (EFL and EMI) at a higher education institute in Oman, as well as to explore the complexity and controversy surrounding its use by teachers and students. The research questions focused on how CS is specifically applied in EFL, and EMI classrooms where English is the medium of instruction, the extent to which it exists, who uses it, why, for what functions, and its consequences. Furthermore, the study looks into how EFL and EMI teachers and students feel about using CS in the classroom.
Six public college classes, three EFL and three EMI took part in this study, as well as the six teachers who taught these classes. The methods of data collection and analysis were based on the interpretive paradigm. Data were triangulated, which means it was acquired from various sources which comprised six classroom observations, six video recordings of the participant classes, six focus group interviews with students, and six stimulated semi-structured interviews with participant teachers all of which were recorded. Thematic analysis was used to examine and analyse the data collected, in addition, the number of CS occurrences encountered by participant teachers and their students during the participant EFL, and EMI classes were counted.
According to the findings of the study, CS is a commonly employed strategy by teachers and students during the EFL and EMI classrooms despite the debate surrounding its usage. The three types of CS were present in the participant classrooms: Intersentential, intrasentential, and tag-switching. Furthermore, data demonstrated that CS is used for a variety of pedagogical, social, and affective functions. Additionally, both participants; teachers, and their students reported several reasons for using CS. Furthermore, they viewed CS as a supportive strategy that assists students in their learning as well as teachers in their delivery of lessons. Participants also had positive attitudes towards its usage in their classrooms. Nonetheless, they were cautious to employ it and expressed a number of concerns.
Comparisons between EFL classrooms and EMI classrooms were made where applicable, and it was found that participants' responses to some CS aspects vary depending on the context. Teachers of EFL students, for example, reported that they employ CS to increase student involvement/participation in class and to assist low-level students. These reasons, however, were not acknowledged by EMI participant’ teachers. Instead, they mentioned two different reasons: to connect students' prior understanding of course topics to the new ones and to assist students in transitioning from studying in Arabic in high school to learning in English in college. Nevertheless, the responses of EFL and EMI participant teachers were sometimes similar. For example, they both stated that they use CS in their classes to help their students understand/ understand more, to fulfil students' various needs/abilities, and to get their students' attention to what their teacher is saying. This comparison applies throughout this study to the responses of participant teachers and students to the various CS aspects that were investigated.
Furthermore, this study uncovered a number of intriguing findings on the use of CS in EFL and EMI classes. First, there is a relationship between code-switching, the class pace, and the flow of students’ responses: EMI classes as an example. Second, CS supports the cognitive dimension of students’ learning. Third, there is a connection/interaction between religion, specifically Islam in this context and language usage in the classroom. This finding inspired the researcher to coin a new CS dimension: religious code-switching/religion-related code-switching. Fourth, CS has a positive affective influence on students to learn in the classroom. Fifth, in both contexts, EFL and EMI, CS appeared to be an essential key component during group work discussions. Sixth, as EMI participant teachers claim, oral CS in the classroom causes students to switch codes and use Arabic words and phrases in their answers when writing their exams. Finally, the study's findings highlighted the significance of nonverbal communication between teachers and their students during their classes. | en_GB |
