Attitudes and Perceptions of Teachers Towards Code-switching in the EFL College Classrooms of Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

This quantitative descriptive study investigates the attitudes in general and perceptions of college teachers towards the functional category of code-switching. Research data was collected through a survey questionnaire, which was comprised of 24 items. Attitude items were scaled as negative and positive; however, the functional category has three components: Curriculum Access, Classroom Management, and interpersonal relationship. Collected data were analyzed through SPSS software using percentage and mode. Code-switching is a natural phenomenon that occurs in bilingual and multilingual classrooms in Pakistan. However, the medium of instruction in Pakistan’s classrooms is English. Participants for this study were 50 EFL college teachers from 20 different colleges of Sindh Pakistan; in them, 31 (62%) were male, and 19 (38%) were female. It was found that; code-switching is being used extensively in the EFL college classrooms of Sindh for different reasons. Almost all the teachers who participated in the study have positive attitudes towards code-switching. According to the results of survey results, teachers’ do not deny code-switching in teaching in learning. Results conclude that Teachers use code-switching as a teaching technique to compensate the students' limited expertise in the target language. Educational officials and policymakers must recognize and make appropriate adjustments to overcome the constraints in the current curriculum.

Keywords: Code-switching, EFL classrooms, Attitudes, Perceptions, Code-switching functions.

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/78-05

Publication date: April 30^th 2021