Competing Standpoints of Code-Switching in Classroom Instruction of the Pre-Service Secondary Teachers

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the types and functions of code-switching in the discourse utterance of the twenty four pre-service secondary teachers in English, Math and Science in classroom instruction, and to investigate the participants’ different standpoints in the use of code-switching in classroom instruction. To achieve the purpose of the study, the documented classroom observations and individual in-depth interviews served as the multiple tools that led towards achieving the goals of the study. After a careful analysis of data, the results revealed that among the types of code-switching employed by the participants in classroom instruction, intra-sentential was the most regular type used, followed by intersentential code-switching. The least among the types used was tag. The result further revealed that among the functions of code-switching, addressee specification came out to be the function most used by the participants. It was followed by reiteration. The third in rank among the functions was message qualification. Direct quotation was found in a very minimal instance. Personalization or objectivization was never found in the analysis of transcripts in the three content areas. From the positive and negative standpoints of the participants on the use of code-switching in classroom instruction, theresults revealed seven major themes. For the positive standpoints, the major themes were interpersonal communication enhancer, lexical difficulty replacer, and lesson enhancer. For the negative standpoints, the major themes were oral communication barrier, habit, vocabulary deficiency, and dependence on first language