Assessing Code-Switching in Multilingual College Classrooms Through Contextual Use of English

This study explores the code-switching practices of first-year Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) students, during English-medium instruction in multilingual classrooms. Anchored in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, Giles’ Communication Accommodation Theory, and García and Wei’s concept of translanguaging, the research investigates the classroom situations that prompt students to switch from English to their native or local languages, their motivations for doing so, and the communicative functions these language shifts serve. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were gathered through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with fifteen randomly selected BEED students during the
2024–2025 academic year. The findings reveal that code-switching is a strategic and purposeful act employed to clarify concepts, express emotions, reduce anxiety, and enhance classroom participation. First, students most code-switched during group tasks, peer discussions, and presentations to ensure understanding and maintain the flow of communication. Second, their primary motivations included the desire for clarity, increased comfort, and greater confidence in expressing ideas. Finally, code-switching served multiple communicative functions such as cognitive, emotional, and social such as organizing
thoughts, overcoming vocabulary gaps, and fostering peer solidarity. Rather than indicating linguistic deficiency, code-switching emerged as a valuable pedagogical tool that supports meaningful learning and inclusive classroom discourse in a multilingual educational setting.