Code-switching as a Learning Strategy for EFL Learners

Abstract

Learning English as a foreign language (EFL) has great relevance for many people around the world due to globalization, technology, personal or professional goals and preferences. Likewise, English has been documented as one of the languages that has more non-native speakers than native speakers around the world (Shin, 2013). Code-switching is considered a linguistic variation and it has become a widely researched circumstance that is commonly reflected by bilingual, multilingual, and multicultural practices. This research has the objective to give an account of how English as a foreign language learner use code-switching as a learning strategy to achieve academic goals. A qualitative methodology and a descriptive approach were used to analyze data and to infer the following linguistic practices:  a) code-switching use by emergent bilinguals as a learning strategy to acquire a foreign language and b) code-switching use affects emergent bilinguals´ language development. The research´s findings can be summarized stating that code-switching practices help students develop foreign language awareness by analyzing linguistic elements to express meaningful ideas taking it into practice. Concluding from extensive research, code-switching can be a helpful learning strategy for foreign language learners to achieve English within a communicative process allowing learners to be able to express and communicate a message proficiently.