Browsing by Author "Eerola, Pinja Kiira Linnea"

This MA thesis investigates student teacher attitudes on using the community language (L1, Finnish) and target language (L2, English) in English language teaching. In this thesis, the alternate use of two languages within the same classroom discourse is referred to as code-switching (CS). Several studies have examined teachers’ language choices and attitudes on the use of CS and this thesis aims to add more insight into how student teachers in Finland perceive the practice of CS and how well they have been educated on the phenomenon. The study sets out to answer the following the research questions: 1) How do EFL student teachers in Finland perceive the practice of classroom CS during their teaching practices in schools? 2) What are the main reasons or motivations for such classroom practices? 3) How well is classroom language use covered in teacher education programs? The data for the study was collected through an online questionnaire that was sent to student teachers in the University of Helsinki finishing their teaching practice. The questionnaire yielded mostly quantitative data, but also some qualitative data from open-ended questions. The findings illustrate that student teachers see value in using students’ L1 while also recognizing the need for extensive input and output in learning the L2. The implications for teacher education are also highlighted, as research-based language teaching could be improved with education on the principled use of CS in L2 classroom discourse.