Comparative Study on Instructors’ and Students’ Code-Switching in an EFL Class

This study investigates code-switching (CS) occurred between instructors and students in an English as a foreign language (EFL) class at an international college in China. Questionnaires and in-class observations were carried out among both instructors and students to elicit the data. Three aspects are investigated: frequency of CS, reasons for CS and attitudes towards CS. It was found that (1) English (TL) stays dominant while Chinese (L1) was auxiliary in an EFL class. (2) Most instructors and students use code-switching in class, which can be attributed to many factors. For students, low English proficiency was the underlying reason, while for instructors, major reason lies in translating important parts. Most of them are positive towards CS. Pedagogical implications of the findings were also discussed. Overall, this study contributes to teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) based on empirical and experimental results.