Teacher codeswitching in the Italian second language classroom in Malta

Abstract

Teachers' language is of extreme importance in the second language classroom since it's the main source of input for the learners. Even though the target language would be the ideal medium of instruction, the reality is that teachers do resort to other languages, especially the learners' mother tongue. The phenomenon of language switching during the teacher's delivery in the Italian foreign language classroom in Malta has not yet been studied and this current study aims to understand when codeswitching is used by teachers and why. The study is also aimed to understand the perceptions of teachers, teacher educators and secondary school students on the matter. Even though codeswitching has been debate of various contentions, foreign researchers acknowledge that it can be used as a pedagogical tool inside the second language classroom as it can enhance the learning process and lower the learners' affective filters. The findings in the current study show that codeswitching is widely used during Italian lessons and its use varies according to the age of the learners and also according to their ability in the subject. Teachers resort to the learners' L1 for different reasons such as explanation or to establish rapport with the students. From the interviews and the questionnaires of this study it emerged that the majority of teachers, teacher educators and students repute codeswitching to be a necessary tool.