Factors in Codeswitching in a Japanese University Context
Naoya Shibata (Nagoya University of Foreign Studies)
Abstract
In order to develop communication skills in English as a foreign language (EFL), learners and instructors are generally expected to use English as the main language and avoid speaking Japanese in English classes in principle (MEXT, 2014). In tertiary educational contexts, as many English classes are taught by teachers from other countries, the main language used in the class is likely to be English. However, codeswitching frequently occurs in bilingual and multilingual contexts (Jenkins, 2015). Therefore, codeswitching can be found even in classes with ostensibly English-only instruction. Possible factors need to be explored because it is essential to understand the sociocultural factors within the foreign language classroom that underline codeswitching and this will aid educators in realising the positive use of the first language in specific situations. This paper uses a descriptive case study involving 20 first-year university students in order to explore the factors underlying codeswitching in two 90-minute ‘English-only instruction’ classes, by analysing class observations and voice-recorded classroom data. Results illustrated that both students and the instructor changed their codes for particular purposes. Therefore, codeswitching can have an effective role in having longer conversations between students and disciplining students in English classes.
中等教育と高等教育を含め、英語のみで行う授業の概念の普及により、学習者と指導者は原則英語を主要な言語として用い、日本語の使用を避ける必要があると考えられている。しかしながら、コードスイッチングは第二言語環境もしくは多言語環境下で頻繁に起きるものである(Jenkins,2015)。従って英語のみで行う授業内でおいてもコードスイッチングは見られ、その要因を調査する必要がある。本研究では主に大学での授業見学と録音資料を用いて 2 回の 90 分授業内に起きるコードスイッチングの要因を調査した。結果として、学習者たちと指導者の両方が特定の目的をもってコードスイッチングを使用した。以上のことからコードスイッチングは学生間の会話を長くすることと授業内において学生たちを指導する際に効果的な役割を担っていることが分かった。
Keywords
codeswitching, English-only policy, speaking, voice-recording, Japanese university students