Research Article.docx

ABSTRACT

Code-switching has always been an in triguing phenomenon to language teachers where the general attitude to it seems positive, yet the exact factor for why a language teacher code-switch is unclear. Various language teachers have gave vague reasons on why they code-switch in their lesson yet when asked specifically on why at that partiular moment they code-switch, they cannot give a clear answer. This study looks at the factors which contributes to code-switching among an English teacher and her pupils at one of the local primary school in Malaysia. Data was collected through observation and interview. The teacher was observed, her language use was recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The result of the study shows that there are three primary factor for why teachers would code-switch in a lesson.Through analysis, the three primary reason are “pupils’ lack of language facility”, “teachers’ time constrain” and “teachers’ strategy to improve pupils’ language”.

INTRODUCTION

Code-switch is generally defined by Milroy and Gordon (2003) where they have given their own interpretation as “to describe a range of language (or dialect) alternation and mixing phenomena whether within the same conversation, the same turn, or the same sentence-utterance”. This would mean that when speakers actually using two or more languages with a degree of competency with the languages and they are able to mix the two languages together, they have carried out codeswitching among them. In day-to-day interactions of an English teacher with his or her pupils, there are bound to be moments where the teacher would use another language in conjunction with English in the interaction, in other words, the teacher code-switch with the pupils. Therefore, in order for the teacher to code-switch with the pupils, there must be a reason or factor that drives or motivate the teacher to code-switch with the pupils in the first place. Therefore, this study has focused on the factor that contributes to code-switch among English teacher and the pupils in a Malaysian primary school. Though the policy in English language teaching demands that English teachers use only English in teaching, the actual classroom practice might be different. Teachers might ode-switch to ther languages for various reason and function. Conversational code-switch is more likely to occur compared to situational code-switch. Hence, code-switching in this particular study is the alternating use of English and Bahasa Melayu within the English class with the teacher.

METHODOLOGY

This study aims to answer one research question: 1. What are the factors of the English teachers using code-switch with the pupils?

2.1 Participants of the study

The participant of this study is an English teacher, teaching at a primary school in Malaysia. The teacher was observed in her English class for 30 minutes and the teacher was interviewed afterward. The data was collected through observation and recording of the classroom discourse and the interview as well.

2.2 Background of the participant

The teacher is named Madam Inariah binti Yusof and she teached a class of 30 pupils comprises of average-level proficiency in the English language