Questions of Classroom Identity: What Can Be Learned From Codeswitching in Classroom Peer Group Talk?

• Autores: Constance Ellwood
• Localización: Modern language journal, ISSN 0026-7902, Vol. 92, Nº 4, 2008, págs. 538-557
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The article discusses relationships between codeswitching and identities in classroom peer group talk among students from a variety of Asian and European backgrounds who were studying English in Australia.1 The article focusses on talk that, in being concealed from the teacher through codeswitching, allows expression of identities that are not normally acknowledged in the classroom. Three main acts of identity were in evidence in the codeswitching data. In the first, students expressed frustration with their own ignorance and demonstrated a desire to align or realign with the task. The second occurred when students were critical of the teacher's methods, choice of topics, or knowledge. The third was related to the desire to become a global, international person. Other, more idiosyncratic identities were also in evidence. Awareness of the variety of uses of codeswitching can draw teachers' attention to the relevance of student identity concerns in contemporary classrooms.