Codeswitching in English Courses in Chinese Universities

Abstract

This study examines the views of teachers and students on the frequency of teacher codeswitching in English major courses in Chinese universities. An important distinction made in the inquiry is the difference between believed and desired presence in short or long moments of codeswitching. Lessons were recorded to assess the accuracy of teachers' beliefs on codeswitching frequency. The data indicate that teachers felt comfortable with their current practices. They were unaware, however, that their actual codeswitching practice was 7 times more frequent and took 10 times longer than believed. Students wanted (even) more and longer switches. Both teachers and students perceive the classroom as a compound bilingual space in which teacher codeswitching is desirable and functional. The conclusion further discusses the factors that presumably affect the diverse outcomes that many studies, including this one, report for codeswitching frequency.