The Perception of Saudi high school teachers on code-switching: Benefits and challenges of code-switching in the classroom.

Abstract

In the Arab world, many students are studying English as a foreign language. In the past codeswitching within English language classroom was highly discouraged, however more recently bilingual modes of language instruction has been increasing in popularity. Thus, creating a need to understand the change in perception of Saudi teachers toward codeswitching. This quantitative study conducts a survey among Saudi high school teachers to determine their perception toward codeswitching, its benefits, and challenges. The findings show positive attitude toward codeswitching, mostly among the female participants, undergraduates, and those with less teaching experience. Although the challenges of codeswitching were identified, the benefits of codeswitching supersede the challenges. However, it was noted the knowledge of what codeswitching entails, the benefits and challenges plays a role in shaping the attitude of teachers toward codeswitching. Hence, there is a need to create awareness on the principles and benefits of codeswitching to shape how teachers employ it.