ANALYZING THE SOCIOLINGUISTIC FACTORS INFLUENCING CODE-SWITCHING AMONG STUDENTS IN BILINGUAL CLASSROOMS

Abstract

This study was designed to quantify the examples and patterns of code-switching and investigate the sociolinguistic factors that influence Pakistani bilingual students to code-switching in their classrooms. The population of the study was the students enrolled in middle and high schools in Faisalabad where instruction is given in Urdu/Punjabi and English, made up the study's population. A sample of 200 students from various schools was selected to investigate and a tailor-made questionnaire, language tests and in-class observations were used as instruments to gather data for this study. The findings revealed that linguistic competency and proficiency, ethnicity and cultural identity, community and peer group norms, social identity and power dynamics, the classroom environment and teachers' influence were the main factors influencing code-switching.