The Impact of Code Switching on Multicultural Iranian English as a Foreign Language Learners’ Oral Production
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24086/cuejhss.v10n1y2026.pp106-109Keywords:
Code-Switching, Iranian EFL Learners, Oral Production Proficiency, Multicultural Classrooms, Cognitive ScaffoldingAbstract
This quasi-experimental research aims to fill a gap in the literature on classrooms with multilingual populations. It investigates the effect of systematic code- switching (CS) on Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ oral production. Using the Preliminary English Test (PET), the researcher selected 60 subjects, who were then assigned evenly to the experimental and control groups. Strategy sessions for the experimental group included six sessions on the CS of metalinguistic awareness and on the CS of task sensitivity. This research was assessed using a test designed by the researcher to measure the subjects’ oral proficiency. The data are analyzed using an independent t-test. The experimental group showed a significant improvement in oral production, whereas the control group showed no significant improvement. The current study examines the requirement for CS in teacher education programs. In Iran’s multicultural classrooms, it is imperative to achieve a balance between language equality and instruction effectiveness. Thus, the current study proposes revisiting curriculum-level changes to enable CS that connects its multiculturality, without focusing on Persian language dominance, by stressing language diversity. Therefore, the current study enlightens multilingual EFL contexts concerning the controversies over the pedagogical efficacy of CS.
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