A Comparative Study Of Novice And Expert Teachers’ Code-switching In Junior High School English Classrooms

The problems of classroom code-switching have attracted the attention of scholars since half a century ago.Researchers have studied this issue from different perspectives and put forward corresponding theories on code-switching,which have provided a theoretical basis for the study of foreign language classroom code-switching.On the basis of Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Framework and Cheng’s Functional Framework of Teacher’s Classroom Discourse,this study adopts empirical method to investigate two expert teachers with more than 15 years of teaching experience and two novice teachers with less than 3 years of teaching experience and their 24 classes(including reading,vocabulary,grammar and exercises)in junior high schools through corpus analysis,in Yining city,the Xin Jiang Uygur Autonomous Region.On this basis,this study analyzes the differences and similarities of two groups of teachers’ classroom code-switching.Specifically,this study focuses on answering the following two questions:1.What are the similarities and differences between the two groups of teachers in terms of modes of classroom code-switching?2.What are the similarities and differences between the two groups of teachers in terms of functions of classroom code-switching?The results are as follows: 1.In terms of the modes of code-switching,expert teachers mainly used inter-sentential code-switching,while novice teachers mainly used intra-sentential code-switching.The frequency of E(C)code-switching,English as the matrix language,of expert teachers in reading and vocabulary classes was significantly higher than that of novice teachers.In grammar and practice classes,E(C)code-switching is the primary mode for both groups of teachers.One part of the English used by expert teachers came from texts and teaching materials,and the other part was their own English.The English used by novice teachers mainly depended on texts and teaching materials.2.From the perspective of the functions of classroom code-switching,when English is the matrix language,teachers’ Chinese mainly played the functions of translation and classroom management.When Chinese was the matrix language,English was mainly used for explaining,translating,asking questions,language demonstration,explaining grammar and vocabulary.Expert teachers switched to English for classroom management,but seldom used English to express emotions and maintain interpersonal relationships.Novice teachers rarely used English for classroom management and maintenance of interpersonal relationships.Generally speaking,novice teachers’ use of English is lower comparing to expert teachers,and textbook materials are the main source of their English.Above findings of this study suggest that English should be given priority,that the integrity of the English used in the classroom should be maintained as far as possible,and that code-switching should be used with purpose and principles.