ARTICLE COMPARISON

Article Comparison

Article Comparison

Introduction

Code switching is the preferred technique that is utilized by teachers around the globe to enable non-native speakers of English language to effectively converse in the language. However, in order to fully realize the potential of the technique, there is a need to assess teachers' as well as students' attitude towards this technique of code switching. This paper aims to conduct a comparative study of these two journal articles by comparing the differences and similarities in research methodologies employed by the researchers. The pros and cons of the various methods and other components will also be analysed to complete the comparative assessment.

There is an abundance of research literature available on the topic of code switching, such as the research article by Abdullah A. Alenezi (2010) titled “Students' Language Attitude Towards Using Code-Switching as a Medium of Instruction in the College of Health Sciences: An Exploratory Study.” The second article which will be assessed is “On Attitudes to Teachers' Code-Switching in EFL Classes” by Mingfa Yao on the same topic in 2011. This study aimed to investigate the underlying attitudes of the major stakeholders of the Code-Switching processes in China.

Hypothesis

For the purpose of this paper, the two research articles being reviewed which address the issue of code switching plus the teachers' and students' attitude towards it have been written by Yao Mingfa and Alenezi as mentioned above. The hypothesis of the first article, 'On Attitudes to Teachers' Code-Switching in EFL Classes' written by Mingfa Yao, can be briefly summarised as follows:

H0: Teachers and students have a similar positive attitude towards code switching in the classroom.

H1: Teachers and students have a similar negative attitude towards code switching in the classroom.

The second article titled, 'Students' language attitude towards using code-switching as a medium of instruction in the college of health sciences: an exploratory study' written by Abdullah Alenezi also has a similar hypothesis:

H0: Students receptive attitude towards code switching.

H1: Students negative attitude towards code switching.

However, it is important to mention that the researchers of both the articles did not clearly highlight their hypothesis, leaving the reader to assume the positive/negative repercussions. Even though this can be a constructive way to encourage further research and/or interest of the reader, it can leave some loopholes in the meaning of the original researchers' final consensus as the meaning behind their findings cannot be fully authenticated due to the fact that their hypothesis has not been clearly outlined.

Research Questions

Following are the research questions that the articles being reviewed based their findings and conclusions on. The first article by Mingfa Yao has a number of research questions which have been outlined as follows:

1.What are the teachers' attitudes towards those who switch codes in a EFL classroom environment.

2.What are the teachers' attitudes towards switching codes as pertains to difficulty in understanding their lectures.

3.Teachers' opinions about code switching and if it 'pollutes' the language.

4.Teachers' opinions about the connection between code switching and bilingual proficiency.

5.The proficiency of teachers who use code ...