Types of Code Switching Used by Teacher and Students in EFL Classroom Interaction at a Vocational High School

Abstract

Code-switching is a widely observed phenomenon in multilingual EFL classrooms, yet its structural types and pedagogical functions in Indonesian vocational high school contexts remain underexplored. Existing research has predominantly examined general secondary and university EFL settings, leaving limited understanding of how code-switching operates in vocational contexts, where English instruction must address both general communicative competence and occupation-specific language demands. This study aimed to identify the types of code-switching used by teachers and students in vocational EFL classroom interactions and to examine their communicative and pedagogical purposes. Employing a qualitative descriptive design with a discourse-oriented approach, the study was conducted at a vocational high school in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data were collected through unstructured classroom observations, field notes, and semi-structured interviews with two EFL teachers and ten students. The data were analyzed using Poplack’s (1980) typology and triangulated with interview data and field notes to enhance credibility. The findings identified 29 instances of code-switching across three types: inter-sentential switching (69%), intra-sentential switching (17%), and tag switching (14%). Inter-sentential switching was the most dominant type in both classes, primarily serving to facilitate idea negotiation, argument development, and instructional scaffolding. Meanwhile, tag switching reflected sociocultural values of politeness and respect toward teachers. These findings indicate that code-switching functions as a purposeful multilingual pedagogical resource rather than a linguistic deficit. Therefore, EFL teachers in vocational contexts should adopt principled and context-sensitive language alternation to support English learning objectives, content comprehension, and effective classroom interaction.