English Teachers’ Code-switching in Class: EFL Learners’ Perceptions in

Speaking Class

Abstract

Code switching is generally defined as a change from one language to another by the speaker
at the time of speaking. This is a common linguistic phenomenon that occurs in the classroom
during learning.Its assessed as having positive and negative impacts.This research is related
to reasons teachers use code switching and students' perceptions of code switching used by
teachers in the classroom at the University Level. Researchers also need to investigate whethe
r code switching is useful or worsens the English learning process and how students perceive
this code switching.This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The research instrument
used a questionnaire. This study reveals that the reasons teachers use code switching are; to
help students in learning English and make students more focused in the learning process. For
students' perception, most of the students agree that the use of code switching helps them
understand the material in the English learning class.

Keywords: code switching, English learning class, students’ perceptions

Introduction
Many people in the world use two or more languages in their daily life. In Indonesia, English
has become a foreign language, because Indonesians usually use their mother tongue or moth
er tongue to communicate with their families and communities. Learning English has become
very important for students from the elementary level and continues to be important even at t
heir tertiary level of education. Although learning English is considered a challenging task for
Indonesian English learners, they are aware of the importance of learning it.
Code switching has become a very common phenomenon in Indonesia and people generally s
witch between Indonesian and English. The phenomenon of code switching has become a tre
nd or style of speaking in society, especially among young people. In everyday life, in the me
dia even in formal conversation people switch between codes. In spoken discourse, English te
achers change codes during their lectures for different purposes, for example giving instructio
ns, clarifying new vocabulary, managing classrooms, etc. Teachers switch from English to En
glish either to explain things better or to build rapport with their students. Some students supp
ort and some oppose code switching in English class (Gulzar & Qadir, 2010). When code swi
tching is used to facilitate, students can have both positive and negative attitudes towards it. T
herefore, the attitudes of tertiary level students towards teacher code switching need to be exp
lored in the context of EFL in Indonesia to design teaching strategies to meet student needs. T
his study focuses on students' perceptions of teacher code switching during lectures and speci
fically explores the answers to the following questions:
• How do Indonesian English undergraduate students perceive the code switching of English t
eachers from English to Indonesian during lectures?

Literature Review
Code-switching is a situation in which speakers change from one language to another during
speech. The change is called code-switching. There are various definitions given by different
researchers about code-switching. It can be defined as a change of a code or switch from one
language to another language.
The phenomenon of code-switching was and still is being studied from various perspectives.
Code-switching phenomenon in Indonesia is often found not only during learning. It
happened at any time when communication was established and became a trend style that was
widespread among young people.
Code switching is very common in EFL classrooms around the world these days and students
have both positive and negative attitudes towards teacher’s code switching in the classroom.
Code switching occurs unconsciously by the teacher and is used as a good strategy in
explaining instructions, translating difficult vocabulary, managing the class, providing
background information and in reducing students' nervousness. Code switching serves as a
means to provide opportunities for students who are less proficient to communicate and
improve understanding of lectures.
Some teachers think that code switching is useful for eliminating anxiety, fear, and reluctance
of students and students who have low self-esteem. Code switching not only improves
students' understanding and application of the material but also provides a positive learning
environment with the help of good student-teacher relationships.
Most EFL students think that they get benefit from teacher’s code switching and helps in
learning the language in a better way. Whereas some students believe that code switching is
not an effective way to achieve their success in language learning.
Studies show that the educational level of students plays an important role in determining the
effectiveness of code switching as a learning strategy. For novice or low-ability learners, for
example, code-switching is an effective learning strategy, but for intermediate-level students
more target language input is required so code-switching is not approved or liked by their
lecturers and students as well. ( Ling, Jin, Tong, Tarmizi, & Sahiddan, 2014).

Methodology
Data for this study were collected through a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire consisting
of 12 closed questions and 2 open questions. The questionnaire was developed by the
researcher. Respondent's consent was taken prior to data collection. They were also
informed that participation in the study was voluntary and they could withdraw at any
time. Respondents are also guaranteed anonymity. Taking informed consent and
protecting the anonymity of respondents are two recommended ways to ensure ethical
judgment. Quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS version 16.0 and thematic
analysis techniques were used for qualitative data analysis.
Sample of the study were 25 undergraduate students from English Department
specifically in Speaking class at Lampung University. All of the students in sample wer
e studying English, as a compulsory subject. Target population of the study is
English Department students in University of Lampung

Table 1. Questionnaire
No. Students Perceptions to Teachers’ Code Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Switching in Class Room

1. When a teacher switches code from Engl

ish to Indonesian, I understand the lectur
e more easily.

2. Teacher’s code-switching helps me in und

erstanding new and difficult vocabulary, c
oncepts and ideas.

3. Teacher’s code-switching for the task ins

tructions, help me understand the task be
tter.

4. Teacher’s code-switching gives me confid

ence to speak and participate in the class.

5. Teacher’s code-switching motivates me t

o work in that subject.

6. Teacher’s code-switching facilitates the le

arning process.

7. If a teacher switches to Indonesian, I fee

l she/he is not proficient in English.

8. When teacher switches code, I get confus

ed.

9. Teacher’s code-switching weakens my E

nglish.

10. Teacher’s code-switching makes me less

proficient in Speaking.

11. I am unable to concentrate on lecture wh

en teacher switches code from English to
Indonesian.

12. I feel teacher violates the rules of Englis

h when she/he switches codes.

Finding
In addition to the closed questionnaire, respondents were asked about the benefits through
open-ended questions. Several respondents stated that teachers’ code-switching made lectures
interactive for students and were able to build rapport with students. R1, "Making students
closer to the teacher and easier to understand the lesson". R3”, “making lectures more
interactive at the same time as creating an aura of intimacy”. Students get the feeling that the
teacher can understand them.
It caters to the psychological needs of learners as their stress and sense of isolation is reduced
or reduced, if not reduced. R7, “It helps to eliminate or reduce students' anxiety and stress”.
This facilitates the learning process for students. R12, "if the teacher does it for the
convenience of students then it has advantages in learning and understanding". According to
many respondents have very minimal shortcomings. R12, “the loss is 0.1%”.
Teacher code switching is beneficial for students who come from diverse backgrounds, both
in urban and rural areas. R13, "Students especially those from urban areas are better able to
understand lectures because they cannot speak English or understand". R17, “students come
to learn from many parts of the country” and they realized that they could easily interact with
the teacher in their language because the teacher did it for them too. Some respondents view
code switching positively because it "improves mental ability" (R15). Some respondents
stated the need to use this linguistic strategy only to meet student needs rather than a sign of
the teacher's linguistic incompetence. R14, “If the teacher does it for his own convenience
then it becomes a barrier in the learning process. So the teacher must do it according to the
needs of the students.
Several weaknesses were also identified from the responses to open-ended questions. Code
switching teachers tend to deviate students from their lectures and find them distracting. R20,
"some students may find it annoying but it is subjective". To some extent it affects the
thinking skills of students who should learn to think in L2 instead of relying on translating
from L1 to L2. R22, “Students need to learn how to think in English, code switching will not
be possible. They will keep translating in their heads and not understand it.” Students rely on
translating from one language to another rather than understanding what is being conveyed so
that code switching has an impact on students' thinking abilities.
Students view English as an important language and the classroom is the only place where
they have the opportunity to learn English. R22, “for most students, they do not have an
English speaking atmosphere at home and English classes are usually the only place where
they can practice”. Some respondents viewed code switching negatively when it limited their
chances of being rich in the target language. R25, "[It] 'destroyed our [Second Language
Acquisition] SLA". Code-switching hinders L2 acquisition for students. Teacher code
switching affects the fluency of lectures and breaks the momentum necessary for student
understanding. R23, “[It] broke the lecture movement”. R24, "Lecture break rhythm".
Some respondents also think that it directly affects students' language especially speaking,
listening and vocabulary. R24, “It is just the root of the loss of language and puts us among
speakers of one or a second language. - measure". Code-switching by the teacher in class
makes students miss the opportunity to improve their listening skills in L2. R2, "[It] weakens
our listening ability". not only speaking,
Code switching has a negative impact on students' speaking skills. R2, “It has drawbacks for
students who want to speak English fluently by listening to their teacher's English”. Many
respondents (R2, R4, R5, R18, R22, R23, R24, and R25) considered code switching as the
cause of their weak vocabulary. R8, "weakening students' vocabulary". Not only linguistic
but code-switching skills have a negative impact on students' affective traits because they
find it difficult to face the audience due to less exposure to L2. R25, “[It] makes students lose
confidence in speaking to an audience in fluent English”.

Discussion
Code switching is an unavoidable linguistic phenomenon in EFL classrooms. The data shows
that students who study English at the undergraduate level have positive attitudes towards
teacher’s code switching. The percentage in favor of code switching ranged from 41.7% to
82.1% with an average of 62.41%, while the percentage against code switching ranged from
7.7% to 30.8% with an average of 17.12%. Respondents think that teacher’s code switching
helps them understand lectures easily. They also believe that it helps them in understanding
difficult vocabulary, concepts and ideas. The students agreed that the teacher's code switching
for task instructions helped in understanding the assignments better. Jingxia (2010); Yao
(2011) also found that teacher code switching gave students confidence to speak and
participate in class. Respondents expressed mixed feelings about the view that teacher code
switching motivated them to work in that subject. Teacher code switching facilitates the
learning process.
Most of the respondents did not agree that the transfer of teachers to L1 had a negative
impact on teachers' proficiency in English. They feel comfortable with teacher’s code
switching and it doesn't weaken their English. Ahmad and Jusoff (2009); Selamat (2014) also
identified with their data that teacher code switching does not hinder students' understanding
of lectures.
Several respondents stated that teachers code-switching made lectures interactive for students
and were able to build rapport with students. Students get the feeling that the teacher can
understand them. It satisfies the psychological needs of the learner as their stress and sense of
isolation is reduced or reduced, if not reduced. Chowdhury (2013) also found that it facilitates
the learning process for students. According to many respondents have very minimal
shortcomings. Teachers’ code-switching is beneficial for students who come from various
backgrounds, both in urban and rural areas. They realized that they could easily interact with
the teacher in their language because the teacher did it for them too.
Several weaknesses were also identified from the data. Code switching teachers tend to
deviate students from their lectures and find them distracting. To some extent it affects the
thinking skills of students who should learn to think in L2 instead of relying on translating
from L1 to L2. Students rely on translating from one language to another rather than
understanding what is being conveyed so that code switching has an impact on students'
thinking abilities. Students view English as an important language and the classroom is the
only place where they have the opportunity to learn English. Some respondents viewed code
switching negatively when it limited their chances of getting rich in the target language. Code
switching hinders students' mastery of a second language. This was also found by Tsukamoto
(2012) whose research in Japan showed that students had negative perceptions about teacher
code switching. Teacher code switching affects the fluency of lectures and breaks the
momentum needed for understanding on the part of students. Some respondents also think
that it directly affects students' language especially speaking, listening and vocabulary. Code
switching by the teacher in the classroom eliminates the opportunity for students to improve
their listening skills in L2. Not only speaking, code switching has a negative impact on
students' speaking skills. Many respondents considered code switching as the cause of their
weak vocabulary. Not only linguistic skills but code switching have a negative impact on
students' affective properties because they find it difficult to face the audience due to less
exposure to L2. S. D. Krashen (1985) has also emphasized that students' L1 should not be
used in the classroom to maximize target language exposure. The data shows that students
have positive attitudes towards the use of L1 in the classroom in the form of code switching
but some respondents consider the excessive use of code switching detrimental to their own
language skills.

Conclusion
Code switching and code mixing are often used as linguistic strategies in multilingual
classrooms such as in Indonesia. This study aims to explore the perceptions of EFL learners
towards teacher’s code switching in English classes during lectures. It uses a survey
questionnaire consisting of 12 closed questions and 2 open questions to achieve the research
objectives. EFL students from the University of Lampung in particular the English program
were selected to provide their perceptions of the use of L1 in their classrooms. The data
revealed positive attitudes of students towards teacher code switching, but some students
were of the view that teacher code switching limited their exposure to English. This research
is only limited to student perceptions and teacher perceptions are not part of the scope of the
research. The study concluded that code switching is often used to facilitate EFL students at
the undergraduate level in Indonesian language classes, therefore, accept the different
attitudes of students.

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