Code-Switching in English Classroom Interaction
A Case Study in an Indonesian Public Senior High School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31004/anthor.v5i5.1412Keywords:
Code-Switching, EFL Classroom, Classroom Interaction, Student Perception, SociolinguisticsAbstract
This study investigates code-switching in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom interaction at a public senior high school in West Java, Indonesia. It aims to identify the structural types and interactional functions of code-switching used by the teacher and students and to explore students' perceptions of this multilingual practice. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with eight students, and a supplementary questionnaire completed by ten students. Classroom transcripts were analyzed using Poplack’s (1980) framework for structural types and Gumperz’s (1982) framework for communicative functions, while interview data were examined through Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis. The findings identified 71 occurrences of code-switching: intra-sentential (50.7%), inter-sentential (40.8%), and tag-switching (8.5%). The teacher mainly used code-switching to provide cognitive support through reiteration and message qualification, clarify complex instructions, manage classroom interaction, and build rapport. Students used it primarily to overcome lexical limitations. Students also perceived code-switching positively because it supported comprehension, reduced anxiety, and increased confidence to participate. However, they preferred strategic and occasional first-language use rather than excessive reliance, so that exposure to English remained sustained. The study concludes that code-switching can function as an adaptive pedagogical resource when used selectively and proportionally to support comprehension without replacing meaningful target-language exposure.
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