Code-Switching in Malay Language Teaching among Primary School Teachers in Rural Kapit

Abstract

Code-switching is a prevalent linguistic practice in multilingual classrooms, particularly in rural contexts where students’ mother tongue dominates daily communication and the instructional language functions as a second language. This study examines the practice of code-switching in Malay language teaching amon primary school teachers in rural Kapit, Sarawak. This study aims to identify the level of code-switching practices, examine the factors influencing its use and explore teachers’ perceptions of its implications for students’ mastery of the Malay language. A mixed-methods research design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 69 Malay language teachers while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with six selected teachers. Descriptive statistical analysis and thematic analysis were used to analyse the data. The findings indicate that code-switching is widely and strategically used to support students’ comprehension, manage classroom interaction and address linguistic diversity in rural classrooms. However, teachers also expressed concerns regarding excessive reliance on code-switching, which may limit students’ exposure to Malay as target language. The study highlights the importance of controlled and purposeful use of code-switching as pedagogical scaffold rather than a substitute for the target language. These findings contribute to sociolinguistic and educational research by providing empirical evidence from rural primary schools and offering pedagogical implications for Malay language teaching in multilingual contexts.