Article published In:
Africa and Applied LinguisticsEdited by Sinfree Makoni and Ulrike H. Meinhof
[AILA Review 16] 2003
► pp. 38–51
Edited by Sinfree Makoni and Ulrike H. Meinhof
[AILA Review 16] 2003
► pp. 38–51
Classroom code-switching in post-colonial contexts
Functions, attitudes and policies
Code-Switching in the classroom across a range of curricular subjects is a widespread phenomenon in multilingual, language contact settings in Africa and, indeed, world-wide; yet it is not infrequently regarded unfavourably by educational policy-makers. This paper reviews the literature on classroom functions of code-switching in post-colonial contexts, commenting on the merits and limitations of recent research. It also examines some of the conceptions of language underlying official and lay attitudes. Finally, as befits a paper examining classroom codeþswitching from the somewhat unusual perspective of language planning in education, it evaluates a number of policy proposals addressing the issue of how code-switching might more effectively be exploited as a communicative and pedagogic resource in instruction. The paper overall is constructed so as to inform the attitudes, practices and policies of policy-makers, teacher educators and teachers.
Cited by
Cited by 74 other publications
Agbozo, G. Edzordzi & Elvis ResCue
2021. Educational language policy in an African country: Making a place for code-switching/translanguaging. Applied Linguistics Review 12:4 ► pp. 503 ff. 
Alghasab, Maha & Xiaofei Lu
2017. The use of Arabic in Kuwaiti EFL classrooms: An exploratory study on the patterns and functions of language choice. Cogent Education 4:1 ► pp. 1411037 ff.
Anderson, Jason & Amy Lightfoot
2021. Translingual practices in English classrooms in India: current perceptions and future possibilities. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 24:8 ► pp. 1210 ff.
Ataş, Ufuk & Çiğdem Sağın-Şimşek
2021. Discourse and educational functions of students’ and teachers’ code-switching in EFL classrooms in Turkey. Linguistics and Education 65 ► pp. 100981 ff.
Azian, Abd Aziz, Abdul Halim Abdul Raof, Fauziah Ismail & Masputeriah Hamzah
2013. Communication strategies of non-native speaker novice science teachers in second language science classrooms. System 41:2 ► pp. 283 ff.
Bach Baoueb, Sallouha Lamia & Naouel Toumi
2012. Code Switching in the Classroom: A Case Study of Economics and Management Students at the University of Sfax, Tunisia. Journal of Language, Identity & Education 11:4 ► pp. 261 ff.
Bonacina, Florence & Joseph Gafaranga
2011. ‘Medium of instruction’ vs. ‘medium of classroom interaction’: language choice in a French complementary school classroom in Scotland. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 14:3 ► pp. 319 ff.
Cahyani, Hilda, Michele de Courcy & Jenny Barnett
2018. Teachers’ code-switching in bilingual classrooms: exploring pedagogical and sociocultural functions. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 21:4 ► pp. 465 ff.
Chang, Sin-Yi
2019. Beyond the English Box: Constructing and Communicating Knowledge Through Translingual Practices in the Higher Education Classroom. English Teaching & Learning 43:1 ► pp. 23 ff.
Cheng, Xiaoli
2013. Research on Chinese College English Teachers’ Classroom Code-switching: Beliefs and Attitudes. Journal of Language Teaching and Research 4:6
Clegg, John & Oksana Afitska
2011. Teaching and learning in two languages in African classrooms. Comparative Education 47:1 ► pp. 61 ff.
Delarue, Steven & Johan De Caluwe
2015. Eliminating social inequality by reinforcing standard language ideology? Language policy for Dutch in Flemish schools. Current Issues in Language Planning 16:1-2 ► pp. 8 ff.
Dowling, Tessa & Lara Krause
2019. ‘Ndifuna imeaningyakhe’: translingual morphology in English teaching in a South African township classroom. International Journal of Multilingualism 16:3 ► pp. 205 ff.
Fennema-Bloom, Jennifer R.
2010. Code-Scaffolding: A Pedagogic Code-Switching Technique for Bilingual Content Instruction. Journal of Education 190:3 ► pp. 27 ff.
Filipi, Anna
2019. Language Alternation as an Interactional Practice in the Foreign Language Classroom. In Multilingual Education Yearbook 2019 [Multilingual Education Yearbook, ], ► pp. 25 ff.
Grant, Lynn E. & Thi Hang Nguyen
2017. Code-switching in Vietnamese university EFL teachers’ classroom instruction: a pedagogical focus. Language Awareness 26:3 ► pp. 244 ff.
Grobler, Rina
2018. Students’ Perceptions of Code-Switching in Natural Sciences Classrooms: A South African Perspective. Africa Education Review 15:1 ► pp. 38 ff.
Guzula, Xolisa, Carolyn McKinney & Robyn Tyler
2016. Languaging-for-learning: Legitimising translanguaging and enabling multimodal practices in third spaces. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 34:3 ► pp. 211 ff.
Gwee, Susan & Vanithamani Saravanan
2018. Use of code-switching in multilingual content subject and language classrooms. International Journal of Multilingualism 15:2 ► pp. 117 ff.
Hall, Graham & Guy Cook
2012. Own-language use in language teaching and learning. Language Teaching 45:3 ► pp. 271 ff.
Hamdan, Hafizah
2023. Functions of student code-switching in a Bruneian classroom. Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal 23:1 ► pp. 55 ff.
Harumi, Seiko
2023. The facilitative use of learner-initiated translanguaging in Japanese EFL contexts. Applied Pragmatics 5:1 ► pp. 86 ff.
Henderson, Kathryn I. & Mitch Ingram
2018. “Mister, you’re writing in Spanglish”: Fostering spaces for meaning making and metalinguistic connections through teacher translanguaging shifts in the bilingual classroom. Bilingual Research Journal 41:3 ► pp. 253 ff.
Jawhar, Sabria Salama
2018. The Use of L1 as a Source of Humour to Facilitate Interaction in EFL Classrooms. SSRN Electronic Journal
Ja’afar, Nur Shazwani Binti & Nooreiny Binti Maarof
2016. RETRACTED: Teachers’ Beliefs of Code Switching in the ESL Classroom. Open Journal of Social Sciences 04:04 ► pp. 212 ff.
Jordens, Kathelijne, Kris Van den Branden & Koen Van Gorp
2018. Multilingual islands in a monolingual sea: language choice patterns during group work. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 21:8 ► pp. 943 ff.
Kao, Shin-Mei, Wenli Tsou & Fay Chen
2021. Translanguaging Strategies for EMI Instruction in Taiwanese Higher Education. In English-Medium Instruction Translanguaging Practices in Asia, ► pp. 81 ff.
King, James R.
2015. Sociolinguistic and Educational Perspectives on Code Switching in Classrooms. In Handbook of Research on Cross-Cultural Approaches to Language and Literacy Development [Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies, ], ► pp. 345 ff.
King, James R. & Rajendra Chetty
2014. Codeswitching: Linguistic and literacy understanding of teaching dilemmas in multilingual classrooms. Linguistics and Education 25 ► pp. 40 ff.
Kiramba, Lydiah Kananu
2019. Heteroglossic practices in a multilingual science classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 22:4 ► pp. 445 ff.
Kontio, Janne & Liss Kerstin Sylvén
2015. Language alternation and language norm in vocational content and language integrated learning. The Language Learning Journal 43:3 ► pp. 271 ff.
Lam Hoang, Thi Giang & Anna Filipi
2019. In pursuit of understanding and response: a micro-analysis of language alternation practices in an EFL university context in Vietnam. The Language Learning Journal 47:1 ► pp. 116 ff.
Le Hoang Ngo, Phuong
2021. Translanguaging Practices in EMI Settings from the Perspective of Student Agency: An Example from Vietnamese Higher Education. In English-Medium Instruction Translanguaging Practices in Asia, ► pp. 121 ff.
Liu, Hong & Rining (Tony) Wei
2022. Chinese University Students’ Attitudes Toward Chinese-English Classroom Code-Switching. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics 45:2 ► pp. 254 ff.
Liu, Yang & Fan Fang
2022. Translanguaging Theory and Practice: How Stakeholders Perceive Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language. RELC Journal 53:2 ► pp. 391 ff.
Madiba, Mbulungeni & Matome Mabiletja
2008. An evaluation of the implementation of the new Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) in selected secondary schools of Limpopo Province. Language Matters 39:2 ► pp. 204 ff.
Mazak, Catherine M. & Claudia Herbas-Donoso
2015. Translanguaging practices at a bilingual university: a case study of a science classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 18:6 ► pp. 698 ff.
McKinney, Carolyn
2022. Coloniality of language and pretextual gaps: a case study of emergent bilingual children’s writing in a South African school and a call for ukuzilanda. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development ► pp. 1 ff.
Mlambo, Muzi Ransom
2014. A sociolinguistic exploration of sexual harassment at an institution of higher education in Zimbabwe. Journal of Language and Sexuality 3:2 ► pp. 245 ff.
Moleko, Matshidiso Mirriam
2021. Teachers’ Perspectives on Addressing Linguistic Factors Affecting Visualisation of Mathematics Word Problems. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 17:11 ► pp. em2029 ff.
Opoku-Amankwa, Kwasi & Aba Brew-Hammond
2011. ‘Literacy is the ability to read and write English’: defining and developing literacy in basic schools in Ghana. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 14:1 ► pp. 89 ff.
Orwenjo, Daniel Ochieng
2021. Beyond English: Multilingualism and Education in Kenya. Africa Education Review 18:3-4 ► pp. 112 ff.
Pondan Perlindungan Leoanak, Sondang, Bonik Kurniati Amalo, A.G. Abdullah, J. Foley, I.G.N.A. Suryaputra & A. Hellman
2018. Teachers’ Beliefs and Perceptions of Code Switching in English as Foreign Language Classroom. SHS Web of Conferences 42 ► pp. 00034 ff.
Probyn, Margie
2015. Pedagogical translanguaging: bridging discourses in South African science classrooms. Language and Education 29:3 ► pp. 218 ff.
Probyn, Margie
2017. Languages and Learning in South African Classrooms: Finding Common Ground with North/South Concerns for Linguistic Access, Equity, and Social Justice in Education. In Handbook of Comparative Studies on Community Colleges and Global Counterparts [Springer International Handbooks of Education, ], ► pp. 1 ff.
Probyn, Margie
2018. Languages and Learning in South African Classrooms: Finding Common Ground with North/South Concerns for Linguistic Access, Equity, and Social Justice in Education. In Handbook of Research and Practice in Heritage Language Education [Springer International Handbooks of Education, ], ► pp. 445 ff.
Quinn, Marie
2013. Talking to learn in Timorese classrooms. Language, Culture and Curriculum 26:2 ► pp. 179 ff.
Raschka, Christine, Peter Sercombe & Huang Chi-Ling
2009. Conflicts and tensions in codeswitching in a Taiwanese EFL classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 12:2 ► pp. 157 ff.
Rubdy, Rani
2007. Singlish in the School: An Impediment or a Resource?. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 28:4 ► pp. 308 ff.
Sahan, Kari, Heath Rose & Ernesto Macaro
2021. Models of EMI pedagogies: At the interface of language use and interaction. System 101 ► pp. 102616 ff.
Salami, L. Oladipo
2008. It is Still “Double Take”: Mother Tongue Education and Bilingual Classroom Practice in Nigeria. Journal of Language, Identity & Education 7:2 ► pp. 91 ff.
Sali, Pinar
2014. An analysis of the teachers' use of L1 in Turkish EFL classrooms. System 42 ► pp. 308 ff.
Shabaka-Fernández, Sonia
2023. The effect of teacher language use in Spanish EFL classrooms. The Language Learning Journal 51:2 ► pp. 161 ff.
Slembrouck, Stef & Kirsten Rosiers
2018. Translanguaging: A Matter of Sociolinguistics, Pedagogics and Interaction?. In The Multilingual Edge of Education, ► pp. 165 ff.
Storme, Martin, Pinar Çelik, Ana Camargo, Boris Forthmann, Heinz Holling & Todd Lubart
2017. The Effect of Forced Language Switching during Divergent Thinking: A Study on Bilinguals’ Originality of Ideas. Frontiers in Psychology 8
Surrain, Sarah, Stephanie M. Curenton & Cecilia Jarquín Tapia
2023. Fostering Dual Language Learners’ Participation in Head Start Classroom Conversations Through Code-Switching in Whole Group and Small Group Settings. Early Education and Development 34:4 ► pp. 885 ff.
T. Inciman, Celik & C. Akay
2022. Using code switching and L1 by teachers: A qualitative meta synthesis by entreq statement (1999-2021). i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching 12:3 ► pp. 44 ff.
Temesgen, Arega & Eyasu Hailu
2022. Teachers’ codeswitching in EFL classrooms: Functions and motivations. Cogent Education 9:1
Tian, Lili & Ernesto Macaro
2012. Comparing the effect of teacher codeswitching with English-only explanations on the vocabulary acquisition of Chinese university students: A Lexical Focus-on-Form study. Language Teaching Research 16:3 ► pp. 367 ff.
Trudell, Barbara
2006. Language Development and Social Uses of Literacy: A Study of Literacy Practices in Cameroonian Minority Language Communities. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 9:5 ► pp. 625 ff.
Uys, Dawid & Ondene van Dulm
2011. The functions of classroom code-switching in the Siyanda District of the Northern Cape. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 29:1 ► pp. 67 ff.
Van Laere, Evelien, Orhan Agirdag & Johan van Braak
2016. Supporting science learning in linguistically diverse classrooms: Factors related to the use of bilingual content in a computer-based learning environment. Computers in Human Behavior 57 ► pp. 428 ff.
Van Laere, Evelien, Kirsten Rosiers, Piet Van Avermaet, Stef Slembrouck & Johan van Braak
2017. What can technology offer to linguistically diverse classrooms? Using multilingual content in a computer-based learning environment for primary education. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 38:2 ► pp. 97 ff.
Vasbieva, D. G.
2022. Functions of Foreign Language Classroom Code Switching in Teachers’ Speech. Humanities and Social Sciences. Bulletin of the Financial University 12:3 ► pp. 34 ff.
Wang, Lixun & Andy Kirkpatrick
2019. Literature Review. In Trilingual Education in Hong Kong Primary Schools [Multilingual Education, 33], ► pp. 9 ff.
Weinreb, Alexander A.
2014. Heterophily in rural Malawi. Demographic Research 31 ► pp. 1477 ff.
Yiakoumetti, Androula
2022. Teachers’ language use in United Kingdom Chinese community schools: Implications for heritage-language education. Frontiers in Psychology 13
Yilmaz, Tuba
2021. Translanguaging as a pedagogy for equity of language minoritized students. International Journal of Multilingualism 18:3 ► pp. 435 ff.
YÜZLÜ, Muhammet Yaşar & Derin ATAY
2020. The effectiveness of L1 use in promoting oral production in L2 across different proficiency levels. Dil ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi 16:2 ► pp. 864 ff.
Zhang, Xiao & Christiane Lütge
2022. Local teachers’ English-German codeswitching in English-medium instruction (EMI): voices from international students at a German university. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development ► pp. 1 ff.
Zhu, Xiye & Norbert Vanek
2017. Facilitative effects of learner-directed codeswitching: evidence from Chinese learners of English. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 20:7 ► pp. 773 ff.
Üstünel, Eda
2016. Current Debates in Classroom Code-Switching. In EFL Classroom Code-Switching, ► pp. 83 ff.
Üstünel, Eda & Paul Seedhouse
2005. Why that, in that language, right now? Code-switching and pedagogical focus. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 15:3 ► pp. 302 ff.
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 september 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.