CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

After collecting and analyzing data from a total of 100 students and 5 lecturers,
the findings are presented as follows.

1. Perception of English – major freshmen towards lecturers’ code-switching

a. Questionnaire
FREQUENCY OF LECTURERS’ CODE-SWITCHING
Regarding the first question asking about the frequency of lecturers’ code-
switching, the answers from freshmen are shown in Table 1.

Answer Frequency Percent

Never 1 2%

Seldom 3 6%

Sometimes 38 76%

Always 8 16%

Total: 50 100%

Table 1. Frequency of lecturers’ code-switching according to freshmen

The data show that most freshmen choose “sometimes” or "always,", which
indicates that lecturers’ code-switching in first-year sessions is common and happens
on an all-time basis.

REASONS FOR LECTURERS’ CODE-SWITCHING

Percent of Cases
Reason Responses
(50 cases)

Explain new vocabulary 36 72%

 Explain new grammar points 36 72%

Give instructions 32 64%

Emphasise important points 31 62%

Others 2 4%

Total 137 274%

Table 2. Reasons for lecturers’ code-switching according to freshmen

For the matter of why lecturers code-switch based on the four choices given, the
statistical results show that first-year college students reckon that it is mainly for
explaining new vocabulary items as well as grammar points. The other two options,
which are “give instructions” and “emphasize important points”, are also chosen by most
of the participants, but generally lower than the two previous statements. Additionally,
some participants have also given a few more reasons why their lecturers code-switch.
Those are:

1. When it comes to an event or phenomenon, in which the meaning cannot be

expressed or conveyed correctly, lecturers have to substitute for another
word in the other language.
2. It can be seen that most of the reasons for lecturers’ code-switching are
closely linked to vocabulary and grammar. They are tightly associated with
the semantic aspects as well as the information capture and understanding
of the students. Eventually, it helps students remember vocabulary items
better.

PERCEPTIONS OF FRESHMEN
A deeper study of the attitudes of freshmen towards the phenomenon of lecturers’
code-switching was also conducted. The information obtained through responses in the
likert scale section of the questionnaire can be summarized as follows:
 Responses

Statement Completely Disagre Completely

Neutral Agree
disagree e agree

1. I can acquire new

English vocabulary more
easily when lecturers code- 0% 4% 22% 40% 34%
switch from English to
Vietnamese.

2. I can easily acquire new

grammar structures when
2% 2% 16% 34% 46%
lecturers code-switch from
English to Vietnamese.

3. I can thoroughly
understand lecturers’
instructions when they 0% 4% 26% 30% 40%
code-switch from English
to Vietnamese.

4. I think lecturers will

manage the class better
when using code-switching 12% 24% 30% 20% 14%
from English to
Vietnamese.

5. I feel more comfortable 0% 12% 38% 30% 20%

when lecturers code-switch
from English to
Vietnamese.

6. I think I pay more

attention to the lessons
when lecturers code-switch 8% 18% 36% 32% 6%
from English to
Vietnamese.

7. I think lecturers get

more friendly when they
10% 10% 32% 30% 18%
code-switch from English
to Vietnamese.

8. I feel more motivated to

study when lecturers code-
8% 16% 38% 28% 10%
switch from English to
Vietnamese..

9. I feel confused when

lecturers suddenly code-
38% 32% 20% 8% 2%
switch from English to
Vietnamese.

10. I find it hard to

understand the lessons
when lecturers code-switch 58% 20% 20% 0% 2%
from English to
Vietnamese.

11. Lecturers’ code- 4% 26% 40% 24% 6%

 switching from English to
Vietnamese partially
makes me code-switch
from English to
Vietnamese more.

12. I find code-switching

from English to
2% 6% 24% 40% 28%
Vietnamese necessary in
specialized subjects.

13. I think lecturers'

frequency of using code-
switching from English to 12% 44% 30% 10% 4%
Vietnamese should be kept
to a minimum.

14. I think that lecturers’

code-switching from
English to Vietnamese 2% 12% 18% 54% 14%
does more good than
harm.

Table 3. Perception of freshmen towards lecturers’ code-switching

According to the data collected, about 70% of the participants agree with
statements number 1, 2, and 3 that lecturers’ code-switching makes it easier for them to
acquire new grammar points and vocabulary items as well as understand the instructions
of the lecturers.

For statement number 4 on whether lecturers can manage class better when code-
switching, participants' responses are roughly equally distributed. While 30% of
participants remain neutral on this issue, about 34% of participants support and 36% of
participants disapprove of the statement.

Statistics also show that up to 50% of the participants expressed agreement with
the idea that they feel more comfortable when lecturers code-switch, but only about 38%
of the participants are attracted to the lesson when lecturers code-switch (statement
number 5).

When the participants are asked whether code-switching makes lecturers more
friendly in the eyes of students, the responses received fluctuate. Specifically, 48% of
participants agree, and twice as many as 20% disagree with the statement. Therefore, it
seems that lecturers who regularly use code-switching will receive more sympathy from
students.

Although more than half of the participants express a positive view towards the
benefits of code-switching, only 38% of the participants said that they are more
motivated to learn when the instructors code-switch and more than one-thirds of the
responses hold a neutral opinion. This shows that lecturers’ code-switching has little
influence on students’ motivation to study.

Participants also express their views clearly when up to 70% of the respondents
say that they are not confused when lecturers suddenly code-switch, as well as nearly
80% of the respondents oppose the statement indicating that lecturers’ code-switching
makes the lesson harder to understand. Thus, it illustrates that the lecturers' use of code-
switching does not affect students' acquisition and does not interfere with the learning
process.

In the relationship between lecturers’ and students’ code-switching, 40% of the

responses are neutral, and the number of agreements is equal to that of disagreements
(30%). This means it cannot be determined whether or not lecturers’ code-switching
increases the level of use among students.
 Furthermore, regarding the necessity of code-switching in specialized subjects,
most of the participants are in favor of lecturers using code-switching. This may be due to
the essence of specialized subjects, which require advanced knowledge and are thus
difficult to understand. Code-switching, in this case, helps a lot in the learning process.
For that reason, up to 56% of the participants disagree with the restriction on lecturers’
code-switching.

Finally, 68% of participants reckon that lecturers’ code-switching in general is

more beneficial than harmful. All of the data above shows that students have a fairly clear
awareness of the benefits of lecturers’ code-switching as well as relatively optimistic and
pessimistic points of view towards this teaching method.

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

Question 1: In your opinion, should lecturers use code-switching in the teaching

process? Why or why not?

After analyzing 50 responses, the results indicate that most participants have the
answer “yes” or “sometimes” to this question. The most common supporting ideas given
by participants are code-switching, which enables students to understand the content of
the lesson better, helps lecturers convey meaning more accurately, and makes classes less
boring. Besides, there are also many opinions asserting that the subject, the content, and
the style of the lecturer decide whether to code-switch or not. On the other hand, the
minimal participants who do not support the use of code-switching hold the belief that the
teaching process is an environment for students to have more exposure to English. This
environment needs to be "pure" for the acquisition to be effective.

Question 2: In your opinion, should schools promote code-switching as a teaching

strategy? Why or why not?

For this question, participants' responses can be divided into three different
groups: agree, disagree, and uncertain. There are a total of 14 respondents who disagree
with the promotion. Most of them share the same belief that the overuse of code-
switching can cause numerous downsides, such as confusion, misusing, and limiting
students’ exposure to English. On the contrary, the majority of participants (28
participants) say “yes” since they reckon that lecturers’ code-switching is a good method
that brings about many benefits for students and lecturers. To be more specific, lecturers’
code-switching contributes to the efficiency of the lesson, simplifies content for better
comprehension by the students, and provides students with opportunities to use two
languages more flexibly. The remaining eight participants appear to be uncertain. They
have stated that it should depend on the situation, the lecturer, and the level of need to
consider the question.

b. Interview

EF freshmen’s perception towards roles of lecturers’ code-switching

In general, the freshmen of the faculty are aware of lectures using code-switching
in their faculty. They acknowledge that lots of lectures use code-switching in their
lessons.

With a moderate frequency of lectures using code-switching, most students

admitted that code-switching has the role of explaining and boosting students’ vocabulary
capacity, as well as serving as a grammar teaching strategy. Many students believe that
vocabulary should be learned in two languages at the same time, that will help them
remember it longer. However, considering the fact that many English words, according to
student E, if translated into Vietnamese, are not very exact, student D also supports the
idea that there are words that should be translated from English into English, in order to
avoid narrowing the meaning of words. When giving perceptions on why code-switching
can help in teaching grammar, student B says that grammar theory will be easier to
understand if taught in Vietnamese, and, at the same time, will make the lesson more
interesting. In addition, they also point out other benefits of code-switching that our
research has not covered. Firstly, according to student A, he believes that thanks to code-
switching, if lectures use it with medium frequency, the communication between
lecturers and students will become more effective and natural. Because the lecturer's
message, if it is delivered in one language only, can sometimes be confusing and difficult
to understand. Thus, if code-switching happens, the communication will be easier to
understand, and the lecturer will also become friendlier to the students. than. Secondly,
with student B’s perception, who thinks that lecturers using code-switching will help the
classes be more silent, when students hear the code-switching from lectures, they think
that there will be important information coming, so they will pay attention to the
lecturers’ announcements. However, student C has the opposite opinion; she thinks that
code-switching has nothing to do with keeping silent in the classroom because this
depends on the students' attitude.

EF freshmen’s perception towards the disadvantages of lectures’ code-switching

Most freshmen have the perception that the most important factor is that the above
advantages only happen when lectures use code-switching in a moderate and reasonable
manner. If code-switching happens with high frequency and has no specific purpose, the
disadvantages will certainly outweigh the benefits. According to student A, code-
switching can make sentences more confusing and difficult to understand because, when
switching from one language to another, it will make the listener feel overwhelmed and
surprised. Student B also stated that if students listen to the lectures’ code-switching, they
will not be motivated to improve their English ability, they will reduce their reflexes
when speaking English, and the lecturers may not really express one hundred percent in
delivering lessons. More specifically, according to student D, "too much code-switching
can lead to incorrect grammar and context when using words in writing." This is also a
noticeable perception, as student C also reinforced this point of view by suggesting that,
in writing, code-switching will make students unable to think and write entirely in
English.

After giving the roles and disadvantages of code-switching, we can see that no one
has a clear opinion on which side is more beneficial, as they assume it depends on the
frequency and purpose of using code-switching. So with the statement that code-
switching should be considered a teaching methodology, student A thinks that if the
lecturers do not use code-switching in the entire lecture, both the lecturers and the
students will feel exhausted and overwhelmed. Because he thinks that by using code-
switching, the lectures’ lessons will be fulfilled and delivered, and students can also get
the lecturers’ messages faster. For students C and D, they think that in the first year of
university, code-switching should be considered a teaching method, but later, in the third
and fourth years, it should be reduced to a minimum. Because student D believes that "in
the future, she will be more confident with her English ability, so she will not need to rely
too much on code-switching to understand the lesson anymore." According to student E,
she thinks code-switching should not be the method of teaching English in the faculty
because she aims to speak completely in English and understand the lecturer's English
teaching; thus, she will be more active in learning the language.

In conclusion, all of the freshmen share the belief that the lecturer's code-
switching should be used with the proper consistency and purpose. Moreover, in order to
make code-switching a more successful teaching technique, lecturers should consider
using it with a suitable target level of students and at the right time in the lessons.

2. Perception of English – major freshmen towards lecturers’ code-switching

a. Questionnaire

FREQUENCY OF LECTURERS’ CODE-SWITCHING

Answer Frequency Percent

Never 0 0%

Seldom 5 10%

Sometimes 22 44%
 Always 23 46%

Total: 50 100%

Table 4. Frequency of lecturers’ code-switching according to juniors

Out of the 50 juniors who participated, 5 of them (10%) stated that they seldom
encounter cases in which their lecturers apply code-switching in their teaching
procedures. Nevertheless, the percentages of participants experiencing lecturers’ code-
switching once in a while or on a regular basis don’t differ much from each other, with
the figures of 22 and 23 participants, making up 44% and 46%, respectively. Besides, no
participants stated that they had never seen lecturers code-switch, constituting 0%.
REASONS FOR LECTURERS’ CODE-SWITCHING

Responses Percent of Cases

Reason
(50 cases)

Explain new vocabulary 35 70%

Explain new grammar points 31 62%

Give instructions 35 70%

Emphasise important points 38 76%

Others 4 8%

Total 143 286%

Table 5. Reasons for lecturers’ code-switching according to juniors

According to the data collected from 50 juniors, there are 31 participants perceiving
that lecturers code-switch when they explain novel grammar structures, making up 62%
of the respondents. Apart from that, the figures for lecturers’ code-switching used to
explain new vocabulary and instruct new theories are statistically similar, constituting
70% with 35 responses received for each figure. Moreover, the most common reason for
lecturers’ code-switching perceived by participants is to emphasize important points,
making up 76%. In addition, some participants also add that lecturers code-switch
because they cannot find the equivalents in other languages. Some participants also
provide a different reason for lecturers’ code-switching which is to explain the content of
the lessons.
PERCEPTIONS OF JUNIORS
To examine whether students possess positive or negative points of view towards
lecturers’ code-switching used in class, a set of questions in the form of a Likert scale
has been asked and the responses are recorded as in Table 6.

Responses

Statement Completely Disagre Completely

Neutral Agree
disagree e agree

1. I can acquire new

English vocabulary more
easily when lecturers code- 0% 12% 26% 38% 24%
switch from English to
Vietnamese.

2. I can easily acquire new

grammar structures when
4% 8% 10% 46% 32%
lecturers code-switch from
English to Vietnamese.

3. I can thoroughly
understand lecturers’
instructions when they 0% 4% 22% 44% 30%
code-switch from English
to Vietnamese.
4. I think lecturers will
manage the class better
when using code-switching 14% 20% 46% 12% 8%
from English to
Vietnamese.

5. I feel more comfortable

when lecturers code-switch
2% 12% 32% 32% 22%
from English to
Vietnamese.

6. I think I pay more

attention to the lessons
when lecturers code-switch 8% 12% 38% 22% 20%
from English to
Vietnamese.

7. I think lecturers get

more friendly when they
8% 6% 32% 30% 24%
code-switch from English
to Vietnamese.

8. I feel more motivated to

study when lecturers code-
8% 12% 38% 22% 20%
switch from English to
Vietnamese..

9. I feel confused when

lecturers suddenly code-
46% 28% 22% 2% 2%
switch from English to
Vietnamese.
10. I find it hard to
understand the lessons
when lecturers code-switch 40% 44% 10% 6% 0%
from English to
Vietnamese.

11. Lecturers’ code-

switching from English to
Vietnamese partially
12% 14% 32% 32% 10%
makes me code-switch
from English to
Vietnamese more.

12. I find code-switching

from English to
0% 8% 20% 46% 26%
Vietnamese necessary in
specialized subjects.

13. I think lecturers'

frequency of using code-
switching from English to 26% 30% 36% 4% 4%
Vietnamese should be kept
to a minimum.

14. I think that lecturers’

code-switching from
English to Vietnamese 0% 12% 26% 38% 24%
does more good than
harm.

Table 6. Perception of juniors towards lecturers’ code-switching

 Based on the data presented in Table 6, nearly two-thirds of the juniors (62%) are in
agreement that the use of code-switching by their lecturers helps them acquire new
English vocabulary more easily. The majority of them (78%) are also in consensus that
lecturers’ code-switching plays a significant role in reinforcing their grammar structure
retention. Similarly, the idea that lecturers’ code-switching enables students to obtain the
instructions is supported by 74% of participants. It is clear that with statements related to
the roles of lecturers’ code-switching, most students show agreement and only a few
show disagreement.

Regarding statement number 4, it shows that up to 46% of participants are on the

fence regarding whether lecturers’ code-switching helps them manage the class better or
not. Nevertheless, twice fewer of the participants fail to believe it is appropriate for
lecturers to use code-switching as a method to keep the class silent. This is proven from
students’ perspectives, lecturers’ code-switching has no significant impact on maintaining
class quietness.

As shown by statement 5, about 54% of participants do believe that including code-

switching by their lecturers in the lessons made them feel at ease. Meanwhile, 32% of the
participants are indecisive about this statement. Besides that, due to the comfortableness
that students feel when lecturers code-switch, the figure of 54% is once again seen in the
statement agreeing lecturers will be more approachable when they apply code-switching
in teaching (shown by statement 7).

In addition, it is surprising to note that the figures indicating lecturers’ code-

switching helps students pay more attention to the lessons and increases their study
motivation are literally the same, including the disagreement ratio, neutral and agreement
one. This, in turn, demonstrates that to juniors’ points of view, those two cases are
intertwined, which means both students’ attention and study motivation will be, to some
extent, similarly affected according to lecturers’ frequency of code-switching used
(shown by statements 6 & 8).

As evident from the data presented by statement 9, almost all the participants do not
feel confused when their lecturers suddenly code-switch from English to Vietnamese.
The same pattern in statistics is also seen in statement 10, which refers to the difficulty in
acquisition if lecturers code-switch. To be more specific, the majority of participants hold
a belief that lecturers’ code-switching does not make students confused or hard to
comprehend the lessons at all, with the figures of 74% and 84% respectively supporting
those 2 statements.

The data presented in statement 11 proposes that the participants have mixed views
on lecturers’ code-switching, and whether it affects them to code-switch more. From the
findings, 26% of the participants admitted that they are not affected by the frequency of
lecturers’ code-switching, which means it would not increase their level of use.
Meanwhile, 42% of the participants agree they are influenced by the code-switching from
their lecturers, whereas 32% are ambivalent regarding this matter. This, in turn, proves
that it is hard to determine if students do code-switch more based on the high frequency
of lecturers’ code-switching.

It is apparent from the findings presented in statement 12 that the juniors perceived
it is the best option to include lecturers’ code-switching in their specialised periods. To be
more specific, 72% of the participants agreed that lecturers’ code-switching facilitates
their learning process, especially in the specialised periods. Therefore, due to statement
14, most respondents (62%) are in consensus that benefits of lecturers’ code-switching
outweigh any disadvantages, reinforcing the irreplaceability of lecturers’ code-switching
in the learning process, generally.
 From the data shown in statement 13, despite the already-mentioned significant
advantages of lecturers’ code-switching, the percentage of participants at this stage who
remain impartial with the matter is rather high, with over one-third of the respondents
choosing. Nevertheless, 56% of the participants are in disagreement that the less use of
lecturers’ code-switching in the lessons would be the best option, and only a few 8% of
the juniors prefer lecturers to minimize their frequency of code-switching.

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
Question 1: In your opinion, should lecturers use code-switching in the teaching
process? Why or why not?

After analyzing the data collected from 50 participants as juniors, the results
demonstrate a nearly complete agreement with the necessity of code-switching used by
lecturers in class. Specifically, 46 out of 50 participants are in consensus that it is
essential, particularly to explain more explicitly the novel theories and reinforce students’
knowledge retention. On the other hand, the other ones assert that in order to solely
establish a concentrated and immersive language learning setting, code-switching needs
to be minimized and restricted to reach a “saturated” English-focused environment. Also,
they hold a belief that if code-switching is prevented, it can, to some extent, preclude
students’ frustration and irritation during the learning process.

Question 2: In your opinion, should schools promote code-switching as a teaching

strategy? Why or why not?

This question provokes considerable controversy since the responses received do

not completely lean towards agreement or disagreement with the statement: “Should
schools promote code-switching as a teaching strategy?” To be more detailed, 29 out of
50 participants perceive that it is the best option to advance lecturers’ code-switching as
an official teaching strategy, for it is considered indispensable in specialised periods.
However, other 17 participants fail to agree with this statement, since they hold a belief
that it still depends on lecturers’ teaching method and own experience, and applying all-
the-time code-switching will create a bad habit in students’ learning language process, in
general. Meanwhile, the 4 remaining juniors are on the fence regarding the compulsion of
this teaching instrument.

b. Interview

EF juniors’ perception towards roles of lecturers’ code-switching

Although EF juniors have witnessed a high frequency of lecturers’ code-switching

with a variety of purposes, they perceive three main roles of the lecturers’ code-switching
that help them fully reap the benefits during the learning process.

First and foremost, it is the giving procedure and direction role that receive the
agreement from all five interviewees. Specifically, the lessons for English-major students
usually contain many technical terms which may trigger misunderstanding or
misconception to students. Hence, lecturers’ code-switching plays a pivotal role in
providing students with straightforward instructions.

Additionally, most EF juniors also believe that vocabulary is clearly explained

thanks to lecturers’ code-switching. Contrary to other interviewees, student B displays
negative perception towards this role. “Difficult vocabulary should be explained by either
easier words and phrases or putting it within the context for students to learn
inductively.”, said student B.

Last but not least, the roles of lecturers’ code-switching in teaching grammar is
also mentioned by the interviewees. According to student B, the advanced grammar
course is really challenging and confusing. Therefore, in order for students to
grasp the concept in both Vietnamese and English, lecturers should code-switch to
explain new and difficult grammatical structures.
 It is also interesting to note that besides the three main roles, EF juniors also list
other benefits of lecturers’ code-switching. One of the surprising roles is that by using
code-switching, lecturers can save a large amount of time. From student D's standpoint,
some abstract concepts in English require high language proficiency and time to
understand; thus, lecturers code switch to Vietnamese to avoid time-consuming. Besides,
student E also mentioned that lecturers’ code-switching can bridge the gap between
lecturers and students. He said,“ Code-switching enjoys widespread popularity among
English-major students in daily communication; hence, lecturers become more friendly
when they code switch.”

EF juniors’ perception towards the disadvantages of lectures’ code-switching

Notwithstanding its benefit, lecturers’ code-switching receives negative attitudes

among EF juniors. The findings from the interviews reveal that 3 out of 5 EF juniors
agreed that lecturers’ code-switching from English to Vietnamese partially makes me
code-switch from English to Vietnamese more. As a result, their reflex abilities and
fluencies are badly affected. For instance, student A said that he sometimes could not
present his idea or understand other opinions in only one particular language due to the
habit of using code-switching.

By contrast, student C believed that lecturers’ code-switching not only motivated

her reflex abilities but also helped her learn vocabulary more effectively. She explained
that when lecturers switch suddenly from English to Vietnamese; she would naturally
translate the Vietnamese words or sentences into English. This helps her improve her
reflex abilities in translation; thus, remember the vocabulary in both Vietnamese and
English.

As regards the question of whether or not code-switching should be considered a

teaching method in classrooms, there is only one “yes” response from student C. She
said: “ With the great benefits lecturers’ code-switching brings to me, especially in
translation classes, it should be encouraged to use in our faculty as a teaching method” .
As opposed to student C, the others perceive code-switching as a teaching strategy not a
teaching method. This, therefore, is only the lecturers' supporting tools which should be
used only when other teaching methods prove ineffective during the teaching process.

Regarding the question of the importance of lecturers’ code-switching in

specialized subjects, all participants thought that code-switching should be encouraged to
use. The reason behind this is that these subjects contain a number of abstract concepts
and terminology such as epiglottis, articulators, sonorants (in Linguistic) or legislative,
neoliberalism (in Culture).

In conclusion, from most of the EF juniors interviewed, the merits of lecturers’

code-switching outweigh its demerits. However, lecturers should use code-switching with
an appropriate frequency and in particular subjects.
3. Perception of lecturers towards lecturers’ code-switching
Overall, the majority of lecturers are on the same page that code-switching should
not be used in skill-based subjects as this will help the students to be exposed to the target
language as much as feasible, subsequently benefiting students’ learning. Educator A
indicates that ‘During class discussions, where English is purely used as a
communication tool, code-switching should be limited'. In contrast, with theoretical
subjects such as Morphonology, Syntax, Phonology, etc. they all hold a belief that if a
lecturer, at the beginning, could not successfully clarify a theoretical content or grammar
point, then code-switching from English to Vietnamese needs to take place. As educator
B said ‘Code-switching should, in my opinion, be kept to a minimum if the class's
objective is to increase students' language abilities. And if the goal of the course is to
acquire language knowledge and academic theory knowledge, I believe that we should
feel free to use code-switching if necessary’. This takes to the point that most of them
agree on the most-used role and also the most effective one of code-switching is
explaining grammar. Especially for freshmen, who are most beneficial when lecturers use
code-switching as this helps them to familiarize with a whole new learning environment.

Even though students are predicated on the idea that in order to speak fluently,
individuals must be exposed to English as much as possible in a saturated environment,
opponents point out this is a misconception. Lecturer A denotes “ In cases there are needs
to use code-switching so this means it needs to be used and should be used. There is no
reason why we should procrastinate or minimize the use of it”.

As educators A and C mention, code-switching plays another role in language

teaching which is to create a more enjoyable learning atmosphere since lecturers can tell
jokes when using it. Furthermore, lecturers also use it to clarify instruction to the class.
However, they don’t think that code-switching can save time or make the lecturer be
more approachable. Initially, in the saving time aspect, educator D denotes ‘Having said
that, it won't work if you need to add one more reverse switch. It will take time on both
sides.’ At first, it may seem that code-switching is time efficient but in practice, after
code-switching educators usually mention that idea one more time in English this doubles
the time. In the approachable aspect, some educators think that it requires more than just
code-switching to see whether an educator is friendly or not. It also depends on the
intonation, voice, speaking style of the educator and the content of the speech.

With all supported opinions through code-switching use in teaching, lecturers all
perceive the regulation of prohibited Vietnamese in teaching of the Faculty is impractical
and was on the paper only. According to educator B ‘But this is merely written in the
paper; in reality, there are some subjects that make it easy to apply and others that make it
tough. Although it is stated on the paper, all of the faculty members' lecturers believe that
using only English is inappropriate and highly impracticable’. Therefore, they reckon that
if they follow the regulation stiffly, the most suffered one is no other than the students. In
fact, as the lecturers point out, there are many subjects that can not be conveyed
effectively without code-switching. In any ELT classroom where the lecturer and
students speak the same mother tongue, code-switching in many ways will inevitably
takes place. The only exception that code-switching does not occur is the international
class where there is a mix of nationalities present requiring the lecturer to speak English
to meet communication needs for all.

However, despite all the merits of code-switching in the classroom, the majority of
lecturers say that it shouldn’t be developed as a formal teaching method. To them, code-
switching is more like a teaching instrument rather than a teaching method. If it is a
teaching method, then it will need to be the role of both the lecturers and the students.
They conclude that code-switching is a concept that is a bit narrow compared to the so-
called method. Therefore, code-switching is and should be considered as a teaching
strategy and be encouraged or not depending on the classroom context. Lecturer C
believes that ‘Encouragement is not required, but the lecturer turners’ decision on
whether to code-switch language or not will rely on the unique circumstances of each
class, each student, and the response from each class.’
4. Discussion
4.1. Questionnaires
In terms of the roles of lecturers’ code-switching that our research mentioned
before, the majority of freshmen and juniors agree with them. However, freshmen agree
more with the role of explaining new vocabulary and grammar structures while juniors
are more consensus in that of emphasizing important points when lecturers code-switch.
Most freshmen and juniors also share the same opinion, which is that they will be more
comfortable in classes if lecturers code-switch. To be more specific, about 40% of the
students in each group feel that the lecturers will be friendlier when they apply code-
switching in the teaching process. However, about 36% of freshmen and 38% of juniors
still remain neutral about this matter.
 Whilst students have shown clear points of view in the aforementioned roles of
code-switching, its role in study motivation is different. Regarding the connection
between the lecturers’ code-switching and students’ learning motivation, nearly 38% of
both freshmen and juniors are undecided. The same neutral opinion can be seen in the
statement “lecturers’ code-switching makes students code-switch more”, with around
35% of freshmen and juniors.

With a roughly percentage of 70, the majority of freshmen and juniors are not
confused when they experience lecturers’ abrupt switch between English and
Vietnamese. Participants also stated that they do not find any difficulty in comprehension
if code-switching takes place during the lesson.

In the last three figures of the questionnaire, most students favor the benefits of
code-switching. Firstly, around 70% of students hold a belief that code-switching is a
prerequisite for specialized subjects. Secondly, 56% of students do not agree that code-
switching should be limited. Lastly, approximately 65% of students denote that code-
switching has more merits than demerits.
4.2. Interview
After analyzing all the data from the interviews, both freshmen and juniors express
the opinion that lecturers can optimize code-switching only if they use it for suitable
purposes and at an appropriate frequency.

Freshmen confirm that to compare the advantages with disadvantages of code-

switching, one needs to consider many factors such as frequency, purpose, target
students, and finally, the context of the lesson. As for the juniors, they argue that the
advantages of code-switching outweigh its disadvantages. However, lecturers should use
code-switching with an appropriate frequency and in particular courses.

From all the mentioned information, there appears that both freshmen and juniors
share fairly similar perceptions of lecturers’ code-switching.
 5. Conclusion

In general, a large number of students hold a positive perception of the four main
roles of lecturers’ code-switching, namely, teaching grammar and vocabulary, giving
instructions, and emphasizing important points. They, hence, believe that making use of
code-switching with appropriate frequency plays a crucial role in the classrooms.
Regarding the lecturers' points of view, they all consider code-switching in language
teaching as a supporting technique rather than a formal teaching method. Furthermore,
they distinctively perceive code-switching as a teaching strategy in skill-based and
theoretical subjects. In theoretical subjects, code-switching should be optimized, and
skill-based subjects, on the other hand, should be minimized. The choice of whether
code-switching should be encouraged in classroom practice or not depends more on the
classroom context.

Despite the statistical and linguistic data supported, our research still has some
limitations. Specifically, the research scope is limited to 100 freshmen and juniors.
Therefore, the result of our research is unlikely to represent all the freshmen and juniors
in the English Faculty. Furthermore, code-switching is a controversial topic. There are
many different points of view involving whether code-switching should be defined as
speaker alternating phrases, sentences or passages of two or more languages, or language
varieties, in the context of a single conversation or situation or not. Therefore, opponents
may find our findings inappropriate in many aspects.

As the study is limited to EF freshmen and juniors, we suggest that future research
can consider the potential of perspective of EF sophomores and seniors towards lecturer's
code-switching to learn further about how students at different levels of English
proficiency perceive lecturers’ code-switching. Besides, classroom context should be
taken into consideration as it is also a key factor, from participating lecturers' standpoints,
affecting their code-switching.