The pedagogical enhancement of classroom interaction through the use of code switching in multilingual classrooms in South Africa

Abstract

Code switching constitutes one of many language contact phenomena and it can be understood by placing it in the double context of the speech economy of a multilingual society. It is a product of prolonged interaction among those who operate with shared beliefs regarding their own culture and communicating with others and is central to the understanding of human language and the making of meaning. The aim of this article is to explore whether code switching in the classroom environment can be an effective pedagogic tool to enhance teaching and learning and also expands the vocabulary of learners and the level of their communication in the classroom. The article also explores the distinctive nature of communication in the classroom environment by considering the different research paradigms and approaches that have been adopted in studying code switching in the classroom. The issue of code switching from the learner’s first language (L1) and the second language (L2), which is usually the language of teaching and learning, is the focus in which this article is approached. This research study employs qualitative method in an attempt to interrogate the existing literature on classroom interaction using code switching as the basis of its argument.