Teachers' Perception of Code-Switching as a Pedagogical Device in the Bilingual Yoruba-English Classroom

Abstract

The perception of teachers towards code-switching among Yoruba-English bilingual students in a bilingual school setting has not yet been adequately explored. In this paper, therefore, the perception of teachers on code-switching as a pedagogical device in the bilingual Yoruba-English setting in Akata Community Secondary School, Ganmọ, Kwara State, Nigeria is examined. The objectives of this study are to: (i) explore the perception of teachers towards code-switching in the school based on interactions between teachers and students (ii) establish whether or not code-switching facilitates interpersonal communication for both students and teachers; and (iii) determine whether or not classroom code-switching is a pedagogically useful communicative resource. This study made use of both quantitative and qualitative methods, guided by Hymes' theory of the Ethnography of Communication. The findings show that many teachers observed that their bilingual students alternate between languages during school hours. They also affirmed that the use of code-switching helps them to elicit content, manage the classroom, and promote interpersonal relations in the classroom. The paper concludes that code-switching is beneficial to bilingual students, but it also needs limitations so as not to hamper their competence in English.