Learners’ Preference: A Reason to Use Code-Switching in Teaching and Learning Short Stories in Grade X English

Abstract

Code-switching is a phenomenon where there is an alternation between two or more languages or dialects within a sentence in a conversation. It can be used as one of the strategies of teaching short stories in the Bhutanese classrooms. However, in Bhutan, English being the medium of instruction, teachers and students are obliged to communicate only in English in the class. This impedes students reasoning, critical thinking skills and the overall learning process both within the classroom and outside the learning environment. Impacts and factors leading to code-switching in teaching literary texts has been widely explored in other countries. However, very little research has been carried out in Bhutan. Hence, this study explored the factors leading to code-switching in L2 classrooms to teach short stories to grade X students of one of the higher secondary schools in Trongsa dzongkhag. It also attempted at examining the perception and attitudes of English teachers and learners towards code-switching in the teaching and learning of short stories. The study was conducted using mixed methods: integrating structured survey questionnaires and semi-structured interview and the data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Thus, the researcher found the significant factors such as, difficulty in comprehending the new concepts, new vocabularies and pronunciation and to encourage students’ participation in the class which leads to the use of L1. Further, it also found that both teachers and students have positive attitudes towards the use of code-switching as a technique to teach short stories to grade X students in English as a Second Language classroom but not to use as frequently as they wished to.