ERIC Number: EJ1080441
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Mar
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1916-4742
EISSN: N/A
Code-Switching in Iranian Elementary EFL Classrooms: An Exploratory Investigation
Rezvani, Ehsan; Street, Hezar Jerib; Rasekh, Abbass Eslami
English Language Teaching, v4 n1 p18-25 Mar 2011
This paper presents the results of a small-scale exploratory investigation of code-switching (CS) between English and Farsi by 4 Iranian English foreign language (EFL) teachers in elementary level EFL classrooms in a language school in Isfahan, Iran. Specifically, the present study aimed at exploring the syntactical identification of switches and the functions that the switches served. The data consist of field notes and scripts of audio-recordings of the teachers' talk collected during classroom observations. The findings suggest that CS is a frequently applied strategy and a valuable resource for bilingual teachers in foreign language classrooms, and its judicious and skillful use can boost the quality of teaching. Moreover, it was found that EFL teachers in this study tended to use the learners' L1 (i.e., Farsi) to serve a number of pedagogic and social functions, which contributed to better teacher-student classroom interaction. Implications may be drawn for language teacher education programs and for further research on systematic investigation into actual classroom practices.
Descriptors: Code Switching (Language), Second Language Learning, Foreign Countries, Indo European Languages, English (Second Language), Bilingual Teachers, Language Teachers, Second Language Instruction, Teaching Methods, Educational Quality, Teacher Education Programs, Elementary School Students, Elementary School Teachers, Classroom Communication, Teacher Student Relationship, Native Language, Language Usage
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iran
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A