Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia

The present study aims to identify the factors that can potentially affect code switching in a college classroom in Malaysia. The participants were twenty bilingual international students enrolled in an English course in Malaysia. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the p...

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Main Authors: Muthusamy, Paramasivam, Muniandy, Rajantheran, Kandasamy, Silllalee.S., Hassan @ Hussin, Omrah, Subramaniam, Manimaran, Farashaiyan, Atieh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciedu Press 2020
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/1/CODE.pdf
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author Muthusamy, Paramasivam
Muniandy, Rajantheran
Kandasamy, Silllalee.S.
Hassan @ Hussin, Omrah
Subramaniam, Manimaran
Farashaiyan, Atieh
author_facet Muthusamy, Paramasivam
Muniandy, Rajantheran
Kandasamy, Silllalee.S.
Hassan @ Hussin, Omrah
Subramaniam, Manimaran
Farashaiyan, Atieh
author_sort Muthusamy, Paramasivam
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The present study aims to identify the factors that can potentially affect code switching in a college classroom in Malaysia. The participants were twenty bilingual international students enrolled in an English course in Malaysia. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participating students. The findings of the study indicated that the main factor behind code switching among the students was incompetence in the second language. Other factors that could account for code switching were maintaining privacy, the ease of speaking in the first language compared to speaking in English, avoiding misunderstanding, and unfamiliarity with similar words in English. Therefore, code switching was found to be an effective strategy used by the students to make their intended meaning explicit and to transmit some knowledge to other students in classroom interactions. This study provides some implications for English teaching community including language learners, teachers, and curriculum developers.
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institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
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publishDate 2020
publisher Sciedu Press
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spelling upm-889892021-10-04T21:41:56Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/ Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia Muthusamy, Paramasivam Muniandy, Rajantheran Kandasamy, Silllalee.S. Hassan @ Hussin, Omrah Subramaniam, Manimaran Farashaiyan, Atieh The present study aims to identify the factors that can potentially affect code switching in a college classroom in Malaysia. The participants were twenty bilingual international students enrolled in an English course in Malaysia. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participating students. The findings of the study indicated that the main factor behind code switching among the students was incompetence in the second language. Other factors that could account for code switching were maintaining privacy, the ease of speaking in the first language compared to speaking in English, avoiding misunderstanding, and unfamiliarity with similar words in English. Therefore, code switching was found to be an effective strategy used by the students to make their intended meaning explicit and to transmit some knowledge to other students in classroom interactions. This study provides some implications for English teaching community including language learners, teachers, and curriculum developers. Sciedu Press 2020 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/1/CODE.pdf Muthusamy, Paramasivam and Muniandy, Rajantheran and Kandasamy, Silllalee.S. and Hassan @ Hussin, Omrah and Subramaniam, Manimaran and Farashaiyan, Atieh (2020) Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia. International Journal of Higher Education, 9 (4). 332 - 338. ISSN 1927-6044; ESSN: 1927-6052 https://www.sciedu.ca/journal/index.php/ijhe/article/view/18455 10.5430/ijhe.v9n4p332
spellingShingle Muthusamy, Paramasivam
Muniandy, Rajantheran
Kandasamy, Silllalee.S.
Hassan @ Hussin, Omrah
Subramaniam, Manimaran
Farashaiyan, Atieh
Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia
title Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia
title_full Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia
title_fullStr Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia
title_short Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia
title_sort factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in malaysia
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88989/1/CODE.pdf