Am I allowed to use Arabic? :a study of the functions of, and attitudes towards, codeswitching in a Saudi Arabian EFL classroom

Abstract

There are a number of debates about the role a learner's mother tongue plays regarding the CS functions of teachers and learners in the English language classroom. Among both teachers and learners, there seems to be uncertainty about the use of the mother tongue, which is reflected in the absence of a clear policy about mother tongue use in Saudi universities. This study investigates the functions of teachers’ and learners’ CS in university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classroom contexts, at a university in the city of Alahsa. It further investigates teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards CS in the classroom. Data for the study was collected by video of university English classrooms and interviews. Transcribed video data was shown to interviewees to elicit their responses about the functions of their CS, and most participants were also interviewed about this. Teachers’ and learners' CS were analysed thematically. It was found that both teachers and learners switched codes in class. However, the functions of teachers’ CS differ to that of learners. While learners appeared to switch codes for reasons of linguistic insecurity, socialising and repetition, teachers, on the other hand, were found to switch codes for a wider variety of reasons including, reiteration or translation, clarifying vocabulary, giving instructions, attracting learners' attention, classroom management, praise, reprimanding disruptive behaviour, and for humour. The study also found that teachers and learners do not necessarily share similar attitudes towards CS. For teachers, it seems there is uncertainty about the policy of using Arabic, yet with the classroom, the data shows that all teachers have used CS.