Why that, in that language, right now? Code-switching and pedagogical focus

Abstract

The study depicts the relationship between pedagogical focus and language choice in the language teaching/learning environment of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at a Turkish university. The article presents the organisation of code-switching which is teacher-initiated and 'teacher-induced'. The data were collected from six beginner-level English classrooms. Transcripts of the lessons were examined using the conversation analysis (CA) method of sequential analysis in relation to the pedagogical focus, applying an adapted version of the classic CA question for interaction involving code-switching: "why that, in that language, right now?" The study demonstrates that code-switching in L2 classrooms is orderly and related to the evolution of pedagogical focus and sequence. Through their language choice, learners may display their alignment or misalignment with the teacher's pedagogical focus.