A self-study on the effects of using code-switching on students’ L2 speaking anxiety in the EFL classroom

Abstract

Among the various obstacles learners of a foreign language may have to face, speaking anxiety is one of the most common. This self-study research investigates the relationship between the speaking anxiety of young language learners of English in Chile and the teacher’s use of the students’ native language (L1) in the form of code-switching as a means of reducing this anxiety. It also explores the author’s personal beliefs about code-switching and how they have developed over the years of studying EFL pedagogy. This research was conducted with a qualitative method. To answer the research question, three personal journals, two classroom observations and one questionnaire responded by a group of 7th grade English students at a private school in Chile were analysed. The analysis showed that various students felt anxious when they were forced to speak English in class and that an extensive use of English by the teacher could also lead to some students losing the connection with the lessons. It also showed that students felt more comfortable when both they and the teacher used the L1 more frequently, but this increased the risk of not using English in the English lesson at all. It was concluded that a correlation between the use of code-switching and language anxiety existed and that teachers should take this into consideration when teaching a foreign language. The research was limited by the short amount of time available for its conduction and the few data that could be collected.