Codeswitching in the Language Classroom: A Study of Four EFL Teachers’ Cognition

Abstract

Although many language teachers resort to their first language (L1) at various junctures during their practice, not many studies have tried to understand the reasons for this from teachers’ personal perspectives. This study aimed at investigating English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ cognitive processes during their classroom codeswitching. Stimulated recall technique was used to tap into teachers’ cognition. An entire session of four EFL teachers’ classroom practice was video-recorded. This was followed by an interview session in which participants tried to recall their thoughts while watching their own performance. The recollections, which were recorded and transcribed, were then analyzed using a three phase model of theme assignment, categorization, and labelling. The findings showed that eight factors were mentioned by teachers as the reasons for their codeswitching with Students’ Better Comprehension and Efficiency constituting the most and least important ones, respectively. Implications are drawn for classroom practice and suggestions for future research are provided.

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