FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE USE OF CODE-SWITCHING AMONG TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOMS

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how ESL teachers in Jordan's secondary schools use their mother languages (L1). This study addresses the purpose of L1, the proportion of L1 in courses with lower and higher ability levels, and teachers' views on utilizing L1 as a pedagogical tool to facilitate target language (TL) learning. The study discovered that instructors typically employed students' first languages (L1) when instructing at lower competency levels in order to accommodate their limited language skills and to foster a less frightening learning environment. The study also discovered that in the ESL classroom, students' first language is employed for educational, managerial, and interactional objectives. Higher competence levels used it mostly for interaction. The majority, in general, expressed approval for the use of L1 because they believed that it assisted students in learning languages by lowering their emotional filters and making the information more intelligible. The findings imply that using the students' first language (L1) may be a useful strategy to speed up TL acquisition. The research recommends that teachers receive training on the most effective ways to use L1 to maximize language acquisition and it’s potential.