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" The Functionality of Code-Switching to Arabic in Female Undergraduate English as Foreign Language Classrooms in Saudi Arabia "
Alsufayan, Reem Abdulaziz
Brutt-Griffler, Janina
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1111108
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| Doc. No
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TLpq2495358490
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| Main Entry
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Alsufayan, Reem Abdulaziz
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Brutt-Griffler, Janina
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| Title & Author
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The Functionality of Code-Switching to Arabic in Female Undergraduate English as Foreign Language Classrooms in Saudi Arabia\ Alsufayan, Reem AbdulazizBrutt-Griffler, Janina
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| College
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State University of New York at Buffalo
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| Date
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2020
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| student score
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2020
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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329
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| Abstract
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The role of the learner’s mother tongue in second and foreign language classrooms has been a subject of debate for many decades (Brice, Mastin, & Perkins, 1998; Cook, 2001; Ferguson, 2003; Almulhim, 2014; Al-Amir, 2017). This debate about the use of the learner’s first language is reflected in the absence of a clear policy on its use within Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms (Almulhim, 2014). There are a number of studies that have examined the functions of Arabic and the attitudes towards its use within EFL classrooms in Saudi Arabia. Yet, only few have investigated the role of Arabic at the undergraduate level. In light of the debate and to help fill the gap in the literature, this study has investigated teachers’ and students’ use of Arabic in undergraduate English as a foreign language classroom context at a Saudi university in the capital city Riyadh. Of central interest is the study of the functions of Arabic as the first language (L1) in these classrooms and the investigation of teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards code-switching. For bilingual students, the process of code-switching (CS), requires a non-random, rule governed, sophisticated cognitive and linguistic manipulation of two languages (Butler, 1989; Brice, Mastin & Perkins, 1998; Brutt-Griffler & Varghese, 2004). Moreover, although teachers’ and students’ use of the L1 in the second and foreign language classrooms can be unconscious, many studies have shown its multiple significant functions. This study draws on Cook’s (1991, 2016) multi-competence framework that underscores the complexity of linguistic and cognitive co-existence of multiple languages and puts the emphasis on using the whole mind of the speaker, not only the speaker’s L1 or L2 (Cook, 2016). In the multi-competence perspective, the second language speaker is seen as more than the sum of the languages he speaks. Data for the study was collected by surveys, interviews and classroom audio-recordings. Survey and interview data were collected from both participant groups. Audio-recordings of two undergraduate classrooms were also collected to ensure triangulation of data. Participants’ use of their L1 or code-switching were analyzed thematically. Participants of this study include 5 teachers and 177 students. The findings show that both teachers and students switched codes in their EFL classrooms in different situations. Teachers and students reported their use of Arabic for multiple functions: they appeared to code-switch to Arabic for the purpose of curriculum access, classroom management, and interpersonal relations. The study also found additional functions for participants’ code-switching, which include using Arabic for cultural and religious purposes and as a result of “a slip of the tongue.” The findings also reveal that the majority of participants’ (teachers and students) had positive attitudes towards the use of Arabic and expressed their need for it within the classroom. The study provides important implications for language policy, school leadership and teacher education in the Saudi context.
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English as a second language--ESL
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Foreign language learning
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Higher education
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Middle Eastern studies
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