Abstract:
This research seeks to study the phenomenon of code switching (CS). We have observed that, student teachers in the Colleges of Education (CoE) cannot do without English language and the Ghanaian languages during French lessons. It sets out to examine the motivating factors of CS in the CoE. It takes into account the types of code switching in relation to the role of the Ghanaian languages and English language. It aims at a global understanding of interaction in the French class with regard to CS and the challenges of oral communication vis-à-vis the panorama of language contact in academic environment. The study is based on Gumperz's sociolinguistic interactional approach and Poplack's linguistic approach, which have enabled us to better identify the manifestations of this phenomenon in the classroom. The study adopted a hybrid method of collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative data from level 400 student teachers at ENCHICOE and AMECOE. Quantitative data are collected from a questionnaire sent to respondents via the WhatsApp platform, while qualitative data were collected using classroom observation. We used Hymes' SPEAKING model (1984) as our analysis approach. Analysis of the questionnaire was carried out using Google Docs. The results revealed that student teachers in the CoE, use intra sentential, inter sentential and extra sentential CS but inter sentential CS is mostly used. We also found that CS is triggered by sociocultural, psycholinguistic and psychological factors, and plays pedagogical, communicative and interactional roles. Based on our findings, we recommended that the designers of programmes of the CoE to consider incorporating teaching of French oral in the French curriculum. Tutors in the COE should involve student teachers in creative and innovative approaches such as group and individual presentation, debate, interview, language games amongst others. The student teachers should take reading seriously in other to acquire enough vocabulary and expressions for communications in French. They should also use pedagogical resources available on the internet to help them improve upon their oral skills. We have proposed Dale’s Cone of Experience to improve oral competences.
