Code-Switching Practices in Sri Lankan ESL Classrooms: Pedagogical Functions of Sinhala–English Code-Switching and its Impact on Learner Comprehension and Confidence

Abstract

This study explores the practice of code-switching in Sri Lankan ESL classrooms, examining how Sinhala-English switching is used in learning and language acquisition and in pedagogical significance. Code- switching, i.e., use of two or more languages within one interactional episode, is observed in multilingual communities on a broad scale but how this practice functions strategically in Sri Lanka’s unique socio-educational context needs more research. In Sri Lanka, Sinhala and Tamil are community languages, with English as a second language associated with education and mobility. The study employed a qualitative research design, including classroom observations, in-depth interviews with teachers, and focus group discussions with students from urban and semi-urban secondary schools. The results indicate that code-switching functions pedagogically by providing scaffolding for comprehension, supporting the processing of cognitively demanding tasks facilitating identity negotiation in trilingual contexts, and reducing affective barriers such as language anxiety. Teachers used Sinhala in a strategic fashion to explain complex grammatical structures, vocabulary and keep learners engaged. Nonetheless, undue code-switching may cause a deprivation of exposure to English input and promote L1 reliance. The findings in general lend support for a bilingual pedagogy that does not see code-switching as a deficiency, but rather values it as the resource that it is and suggests its purposeful and selective integration into ESL teacher education, curriculum policy, and classroom practice.