Pa ge 1 Pa ge 62 American Journal of Education and Technology (AJET) Code-Switching in Classroom Interaction Michael B. Lavadia1*, Jelyn Meca Balao1, Jamiela Estabillo1 Volume 4 Issue 3, Year 2025 ISSN: 2832-9481 (Online) DOI: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.5594 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet Article Information ABSTRACT Received: June 25, 2025 Accepted: August 01, 2025 Published: September 02, 2025 Code-switching is a common linguistic phenomenon among multilingual speakers. This phenomenon manifests itself in diverse ways and serves a variety of purposes. This paper explores code-switching in the context of classroom interaction, specifically to find out dominant patterns and factors that trigger the switching of codes among teachers and learners. Code-switching may occur between sentences, known as 'intra-sentential code-switching'; at the beginning and end of a sentence, known as 'inter-sentential code- switching'; and it may also occur as fillers, idioms, and expressions, known as 'extra/ tag code-switching. This paper analyzed the alternating use of English and Filipino in classroom interaction at the Cagayan State University-Carig Campus. The data consists of six audio-recorded lectures in the departments of Humanities and Social Sciences and Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The findings revealed that apart from the three patterns extensively researched in bilingualism, teachers and students also employed intra- word code-switching (switch within word boundary). This new pattern has emerged in the investigation. The study also shows that the widespread use of code-switching in the classroom may serve instructional purposes, such as asking, clarification/reiteration, conveying intimacy, equivalence, explanation/elaboration, floor-holding, loss of words, and translation. This research broadens our understanding that code-switching in bilingual and multilingual classrooms is largely demonstrative of communicative competence. Keywords Code-Switching, Competence, Functions, Patterns 1 Cagayan State University, Carig Sur, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines * Corresponding author’s e-mail: csulavadia29@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Considering the number of languages spoken around the globe, it is inevitable to have people who speak two or more languages in a community. Kanwal et al. (2022) defined bilingualism as "understanding" two languages in their most basic forms. There are difficulties, however, in defining what it means to "know" a language because while some bilinguals are fluent in both languages, others have a definite dominant or favored language. William (2009) further explains that 'bilingual' refers to the process of communicating in two languages (L1 for input and L2 for output). This is in accordance with what Muysken et al. (2005) mentioned: bilingual people have command of at least two languages. Due to frequent language contact, there is a sociolinguistic phenomenon called code-switching (CS), which has indisputably dominated the contact phenomena of interest to bilingualism. It stimulates professional scientific and academic research but produces a considerable deal of sharp criticism that reflects public misconceptions about the nature of CS. Language is crucial to our survival as a means of communication and expressing our ideas, beliefs, and opinions. Language use reflects our identity and cultural background. Communities that speak two or more languages take advantage of various phenomena to enhance their communication ability. Shifting of codes is one of these occurrences. This paper looked into the patterns and functions of code-switching in classroom interaction with the end of understanding how and why it happens particularly in learning environments where English is used as a second language such as in the Philippine education setting. LITERATURE REVIEW Code-switching is broadly defined by Gumperz (1982) as "the juxtaposition within the same speech exchange of passages of speech belonging to two different grammatical systems or subsystems." It happens when a bilingual goes from one language to the other in mid-speech when both speakers know the same languages (Cook, 2008). Additionally, people usually employ a particular language system to fit the needs of a communicative setting. Nurzahidah (2020) defined 'code' as a language or dialect utilized by bilinguals. Bilinguals in this situation employ code to blend in with the group (it can either be intentional or unintentional) or to communicate ideas and concepts that might be lenient to explain in a particular language. Thus, code-switching is the alternating use of two or more codes within one conversational episode (Auer, 2014). Literature on code-switching offers two prominent but opposite views. On the one hand, code-switching is viewed as deficiency/incompetence because, as Simasiku et al. (2015) mentioned, teachers value monolingual instructions to facilitate competence. It supports Holmes's (2013) idea that speakers code-switch indiscriminately due to incompetence. On the other hand, code-switching illustrates competence as it shows the ability of speakers to manipulate two different codes with ease and fluency. Reyes (2004) supported this idea, stating that code-switching is utilized for comfort and Pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet Am. J. Educ. Technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 greater competence. She claimed that CS can also be used to achieve conversational goals and interact with peers. Bautista (1999) even suggests minimal wastage of time, effort, and resources while switching to the other code since it offers the quickest, most straightforward, and most convenient approach to expressing thoughts. She termed this as ‘communicative efficiency’. According to Shartiely (2016), it depends on whether CS is viewed as a strategy or a deficiency. In an interaction, code-switching occurs between bilinguals, and they appear in patterns, whether mid- sentence or as a single unit. Poplack (1980) stated that the code switch could occur at sentence boundaries (inter- sentential), in the middle of a sentence (intra-sentential), or the switching of a single word or a tag phrase (extra- sentential). Inter-sentential code-switching occurs between complete stretches of utterances or sentences (Roxas, 2019). Fluent bilingual speakers frequently utilize this kind of code-switching. Meanwhile, extra-sentential refers to adding a tag in one language to an otherwise multilingual speech (Mangila, 2018). Since code-switching is becoming the center of research interest, a different pattern might also emerge since conventional analyses of code-switching as a language phenomenon have centered on sentential and even discourse levels but have yet to be studied at the word level. In a bilingual society, an individual can utilize code- switching to varying degrees and in various contexts, such as at home, school, or any regular activity. The utilization of such phenomena is becoming natural. Code-switching is likely to appear in a classroom setting. Early in their academic careers, students are more exposed to their L1 than their L2. (Waris, 2012) stated that at the tertiary level, linguistic switching may act as a barrier over time, hindering mutual understanding between the students and native speakers of the target language when they interact. Horasan (2014) studied CS in EFL classrooms and stated that it might imply a communicative function such as discussing classroom routines, sharing their concerns, or repeating for confirmation. Parmis et al. (2020) thought of CS as an instructional medium that fills in the gaps between understanding and clarification inside the classroom. As a result, switching between their L2 and L1 using code is an effort to build a bridge to proficiency in both languages. On the other hand, teachers use code- switching utilizing the students' native languages to impart the necessary knowledge and to clarify meaning. Therefore, it benefits students and teachers (Memory et al., 2018). There are several reasons why teachers and students rely on code-switching during classroom interaction. Some of the factors include loss of words or failure to retrieve correct words (Roxas, 2019), lack of proficiency (Sert, 2005 & Muthusamy et al., 2020), and filling the gap in speaking or floor-holding (Muthusamy et al., 2020 & Tabassum et al., 2020). Shay (2015) described that code-switching deriving from the need to hold the floor indicates an inability to recall the appropriate target language structure or lexicon. Code-switching is becoming more common due to frequent language contact. Languages are becoming corrupted due to bilingualism and multilingual language mixes, resulting in diverse languages. Meanwhile, in recent studies, code-switching and code-mixing are used interchangeably by Nguyen et al. (2016), who refer to code-switching as both inter-sentential and intra- sentential alternating use of the target language and the mother tongue. Accordingly, this study explores the factors and patterns of code-switching in a language classroom, aiming to understand the underlying motivations for bilingual language alternation. It also considers ongoing scholarly debates about whether code-switching indicates linguistic resourcefulness or challenges in language proficiency. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study employed a descriptive-qualitative research design to explore and describe code-switching patterns and factors in classroom interactions. The research was conducted at Cagayan State University–Carig Campus, specifically in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM), formerly the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Six in-person classes from different disciplines under CHSS and CNSM were purposively selected as participants during the second semester of the academic year 2022–2023. Prior to data collection, formal permission was obtained from the College Deans, followed by informed consent from teachers to audio- record classroom discussions. Adhering to RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012, the researchers explained the study's purpose and recorded a one-hour session for each class. These recordings were transcribed manually, and copies were provided to the respective teachers. Data were then analyzed using discourse analysis, which focuses on naturally occurring language in social contexts. The researchers concentrated on spoken discourse, particularly bilingual classroom interactions, as defined by Cackrawarti (2011), where bilingualism allows code-switching to occur. The analysis involved identifying code-switching patterns and categorizing them based on triggering factors. These categories were validated by three PhD-holding language educators specializing in English Language Education, who had studied Bilingualism and Discourse Analysis. Ethical considerations were strictly observed; the anonymity of all participants was maintained, and all teachers received copies of the transcriptions used for analysis. Only the discussion portions of classroom sessions were examined to ensure focused and relevant data analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Table 1 shows the frequency, percentage distribution, and ranking of code-switching patterns used in six (6) recorded classroom interactions at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and College of Mathematics and Natural Pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet Am. J. Educ. Technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of the patterns of code-switching employed in six represented classes. Code-switching Patterns Frequency Percentage Ranking Inter-sentential 87 23.14% 3 Intra-sentential 146 38.83% 1 Tag-switching 36 9.57% 4 Intra-word 107 28.46% 2 Total 376 100% Table 2: Code-switching Patterns in the Transcripts Extract Category of Code- Switching Pattern E14-T1: “Citizenship or saan ka nakatira, where do you reside, okay, kaya meron tayong multiple nationalities.” Intra-sentential E15-S1: “Ma’am, ano, unlike nationality, hindi pwedeng, ano, hindi pwedeng magpalit sa race.” E53-T2: “So that should be our trademark, or something like, palatandaan ninyo, we have this, uh, stable benzene.” E72-T3: “Probably siguro ano, various sources of energy.” E83-T3: “Don’t you think mga sinaunang tao are already using the dry thing?” E84-T3: “Yeah, probably snail mail at telegram, kasi ngayon, ano, what do we use to send letters?” E106-S4: “We should have the common ground po tapos po to get a dialogue.” E212-T4: “This is the most useful contribution, kasi ano nga, you want to initiate change.” E225-T5: “X component mo, the displacement mo, so, we will start from the x.” E113-T4: “Pwedeng ‘yung iba kaya bumibili ng gano’n kasi ‘yun ang the comfort food nila.” E244-T6: “Ano nga ba itong self-understanding or self-insight ni Rogers.” E1-T1: “It interferes us from communicating, so the first one is, ano yung una?” Inter-sentential E6-T1: “Okay, in other words, hindi pantay-pantay ang kultura.” E64-T3: “Let’s welcome the hostile incumbent governor, ano ibig sabihin?” E71-T3: “It’s the same, kasi wala silang kalaban, eh.” E260-T5: “The motion of the ball is an example of a projectile motion, nakuha ninyo?” E98-T4: “Signs or symbols or whatever na hindi mo naiintindihan” E107-T4: “Ano ‘yung mga meanings behind the tattoos of people or is that just for self- expression?” E228-T4: “Ano ‘yung mga gagawin mong campaign for your project?” E230-T4: “Kahit sa inyong sariling family, you will have your own set of practices, traditions, and beliefs.” E294-T6: “Tila ito ‘yung tila nagbibigay ng mas, uh, ano ‘to, they tend to be more influential.” E89-T4: “Who will share his/her understanding of the four… four ba?” E223-T5: “B initial test x and y component, ‘di ba?” E271-T6: “You fail to develop that process, ‘di ba?” E246-T6: “Based on this self-understanding and self-insight, ‘no?” Sciences, Cagayan State University – Carig Campus, following the identification of code-switching patterns proposed by Poplack (1980) and Hoffman (1991). As can be gleaned from the table, four patterns of code- switching emerged from the data: inter-sentential, intra- sentential, tag, and intra-word code-switching. Among the four patterns, intra-sentential code-switching (described by Poplack (1980) as the change in language that occurs in the middle of a sentence without any hesitations, breaks, or pauses) was found to be the most dominant, occurring 146 times (38.83%) in the data. In a parallel study of Yulyana (2015) on code-switching analysis in classroom interactions, intra-sentential code-switching is also the most dominant pattern occurring among teachers and students. Pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet Am. J. Educ. Technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 E57-T2: “Also we have this nitration, ‘no?” Extra-sentential E58-T2: “Toluene undergoes nitration approximately 25 times faster than benzene, that means it is very fast, ‘no?” E301-T6: “On the other hand, for the incongruent self naman, the self-image is different to the ideal self.” E111-T4: “So, everyday kang bumibili?” E127-T4: “So, ‘yun ang ibig sabihin.” E155-T4: “So, ano namang sinasabi nito?” E236-T6: “So, ‘yun naman ay kabaligtaran.” E307-T6: “Wow! Ang galing galing mo naman!” E26-T1: “I-translate natin affiliates is kinabibilangan.” Intra-word E33-T1: “Wala akong masyadong ma-example dahil hindi naman ako tubong Cagayan.” E34-T1: “Kapag wala kang pang-tuition.” E42-T1: “...hindi lang ako yung magcocontrol ng buong conversation.” E44-T1: “...nagno’non-verbal kayo nakikita ko...” E61-T2: “Na-follow lang ba?” E166-T4: “...na-discuss natin unang-una pa.” E87-T3: “Inexplain na natin iyan.” E198-T4: “Paano nila ineexpress ito?” Table 2 shows the use of different patterns in the transcripts. Intra-sentential switching is a type of code-mixing which occurs within a phrase, clause, or a sentence boundary without any hesitations, breaks, or pauses (Hoffman, 1991; Girsang, 2015; Paplock, 1980) or code-switching within or inside sentences (Alhamdan, 2019). The term is also used to mean “code-mixing” by those who strictly view code-switching and code-mixing as two distinct language phenomena, with the latter entailing transfer of linguistic units from one code into another (Spice, 2018; Alhamdan, 2019; Kachru, 1978; Park-Johnson, 2019). The cases of intra-sentential code- switching illustrated above involve switching from the target language (English) to the native language (Filipino). In E14, the interactant inserted the Filipino phrase “saan ka nakatira” to define the aforementioned target language “citizenship.” The Filipino phrase “kaya meron tayong” was also inserted by the interactant within sentence boundaries. The same code-switching pattern is evident in E15, E53, E72, E83, E84, E106, E212, and E225. Memory et.al. (2018) mentioned that the teacher code changes to the native language to explain the meaning in order to emphasize the significance of the foreign language topic for efficient comprehension. Gulzar (2010) and Pradita (2015) also elaborated that since instructions are typically given using students' L1, switching codes to change the topic is a fairly common phenomenon in the classroom. This kind of switch shows that teachers believe it is necessary to explain foreign language rules in the student's native tongue. Although all of the extracts above typify intra-sentential code-switching with English (target language) as the initial code, there are also instances in the data that feature the native language as the initial code, while the target language acts as the inserted code, as can be seen in E113 and E244. In E113, the interactant begins the line in Filipino with the hypothetical clause “Pwedeng ‘yung iba kaya bumibili ng gano’n kasi ‘yun ang…”, and then injects the English phrase “comfort food” and reverts back to Filipino with the referential element “nila”. Such pattern is resembled by E244, with the interactant beginning the line with a common Filipino interrogative construction “Ano nga ba itong…” and then inserts the English compounds “self- understanding or self-insight” and then switches back to Filipino with the insertion of the preposition “ni”. Note that while these two examples share the same code- switching pattern, the communicative purposes served by both vary. The extracts clearly illustrate that interactants code-switched in the middle of their utterance. Inter-sentential code-switching occurs when the switch happens at sentence boundaries—words or phrases at the beginning or end of a sentence (Girsang, 2015). Inter- sentential code-switching takes place between complete stretches of utterances or sentences (Roxas, 2019). In the first extract cited above, the interactants began with the target language (English) ‘It interferes us from communicating, so the first one is’ and switched to the native language (Filipino) ‘ano yung una?’ which translates to ‘what is the first one’ is an utterance illustrating inter- sentential code-switching. Similar code-switching pattern is shown in E6, where the lecturer used the L2 ‘Okay, in other words,’ and proceeded with the L1, ‘hindi pantay- pantay ang kultura’ which translates to ‘culture is not equal.’ These patterns of inter-sentential code-switching can also be seen in E64, E71, E260, and E98. Another form of inter-sentential code-switching is the use of the native language as the initial code followed by the target language as can be seen in the table. In these Pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet Am. J. Educ. Technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 cases, the interactants began with the L1 and switched to L2. The Filipino phrase ‘Kahit sa inyong sarili’ in E230, which translates to ‘even in your own’ is inserted along the utterance which implies inter-sentential code-switching at the beginning of a sentence. Similar switching patterns can be seen in E107, E228, and E294. Extra-sentential switching refers to the insertion of a tag in one language to an utterance that is otherwise in another language (Mangila, 2018) that includes short utterances, fillers, and idiomatic expressions (Poplack, 1980). Girsang (2015) also called this instance an emblematic switching, wherein the switch is simply an interjection, a tag, or a sentence filler in the other language which serves as an ethnic identity marker. In the above extract, the tag ‘ba’ was inserted at the end of the sentence. It is a widely used term in the Filipino language as an indicator of an interrogative sentence. The insertion of ‘ba’ suggests that the lecturer was trying to confirm the correctness of what she was referring to as the ‘four’ and to put emphasis on the question. The expression ‘’di ba’ is also very common in the native language. It is a shortened term for ‘hindi ba’ in the Filipino language and can be translated to ‘right?’ in the target language. The interactant inserted the native tag at the end of the sentence to indicate a question. These extracts show the frequent usage of the tag ‘di ba?’ when the lecturer tries to ensure the understanding of the students of what is being discussed through this tag for questioning. In the study of Ataş and Sağın-Şimşek (2021), the results suggest that the most frequent form of code-switching was observed to be using discourse markers. The extracts above proved that discourse markers are frequent in bilingual classrooms. The native Filipino term ‘no’ is a shortened version of ‘ano’ which also indicates a question of confirmation. It can mean ‘right?’ in the target language, which is also a discourse marker. It is also inserted at the end of the sentence to indicate a question. This tag occurs in E346, E57, and E58 with the same functions. In this sentence, the tag is inserted by the teacher in the middle of the target language. The native word ‘naman’ doesn’t have a direct translation in the target language. If the word is eliminated from the sentence, it would still mean the same because there’s already an ‘on the other hand’ line at the beginning. This native language is a discourse marker, specifically a contrastive marker, which signals some contrast between the textual elements they link. The expression ‘so’ is the most frequently occurring tag in the classroom which is an adverb that means in a manner or way indicated or suggested. It can also mean thus, then or subsequently. It is a discourse marker because by employing the native language ‘so’, the interactant is trying to connect, organize, and manage what they say (Yunita & Suryani, 2019). The examples above of tag- switching with the tag ‘so’ in the beginning shows that a thought is to be anticipated after its occurrence. Girsang (2015) mentioned that this is a switching with sentence tags that precede a sentence. The teacher in extract E307-T6 expressed emotions by beginning the statement with the target language ‘wow’, and it is usually used in expressing astonishment or admiration. This is an example of an interjection kind of tag-switching because it is used to express emotions (Yunita & Suryani, 2019). One pattern rarely mentioned in code-switching literature but was nonetheless persistent in the data is intra-word or intra-lexical code-mixing. In fact, MacSwan and Colina (2014 cited in Stefanich et al, 2019) claimed that while interword code-switching is widely attested, intra-word code-switching has been argued to be impossible. It is argued by Stefanich (2019) that intra-word CS is in fact a robust and widespread characteristic of multilingual speech. Intra-word or intra-lexical code-mixing is the combination of elements (e.g., a root and an affix) from different languages within a single word. In the first extract, a piece of morphological information “i-” from Filipino is attached to the English word “translate” to create the derivative i-translate which is a demonstration of intra-lexical code-switching or the switching of two codes within a word. The derivational morpheme “i-” is used to indicate that the following verb is infinitive. Hence, i-translate means “to translate”. The extract above illustrates intra-word code-switching with the combination of the Filipino prefix “ma-” and the English noun “example”. Oftentimes, in the Filipino language, “ma-” is attached to nouns to create an adjective derivative. However, in the case of “ma-example”, although “ma-” is attached to a noun, the derivative is not exactly an adjective but a verb that, which renders it like the function of “i-” in the previous extract. In other words, “ma-” was used to indicate infinitive form. Ma- example then roughly translates as “to give as example”. The given extract above consists of the English noun root/base ‘tuition’ and the Tagalog prefix ‘pang’ illustrating another example of intra-word code- switching. Bilingual speakers, who speak two or even more languages, normally tend to code-switch when speaking to another bilingual person by mixing languages within word boundaries. The prefix “pang-” is used when a tool or an instrument is used to perform the action expressed by the root. It’s also an allomorph of “pam-” which is usually used before bilabial consonants. In this case, T1 employed intra-word code-switching in the word magcocontrol. This example does not only illustrate the morphological process of derivation, but it also shows a systematic repetition of a phonological material within a word for semantic or grammatical purposes (Urbanczyk, 2017). As in the case of magcocontrol, the prefix ‘mag’ is attached to the base ‘control’ plus a reduplicant ‘co’ to mark the present perfect progressive aspect of the verb. The same thing can be said with E44 with the word nagno’non-verbal exemplifying intra-word code-switching, only this time “nag-” marks the past perfect progressive form (should the word non-verbal be taken as a verb by virtue of the bound morpheme Pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet Am. J. Educ. Technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 attached to it). The extracts above show that the L2 root words are combined with the Tagalog prefix ‘na’ to produce new words and new meanings. In E61 and E166, the prefix ‘na’ in ‘na-discuss’ and ‘na-follow’ is a past-tense marking prefix that is appropriately attached to English verbs in their uninflected form. The extracts above show that the L2 root/base words are combined with the Tagalog prefix ‘in'. ‘Explain’ without the ‘in’ is an English verb that means to describe something in detail, however, with the addition of the bound morpheme ‘in’, the tense of the verb changes. From ‘explain something in detail’, the semantics changes to ‘explained in detail.’ since “in-” is a past-tense marking prefix in Filipino. Unlike the “in-” in E87, “in-” in E194 does not mark the simple past tense. Instead, it marks the present progressive aspect as evidenced by the presence of partial reduplication. In the Filipino language, the present progressive is shown through the repetition of the first syllable of the base word. The extract above shows that the English compound word ‘overthink’ is combined with the Tagalog prefix ‘nag’ to produce a new word with new meaning. The tagalog prefix “nag-” is often added to denote completion of an action. However, “nag-” in this case marks the present tense functioning to present a habitual action. Table 3: Code-switching Functions in the Transcripts Extract Function “It interferes us from communicating, so the first one is, ano ‘yung una?” Asking to stimulate response“Let’s welcome the hostile incumbent governor, ano ibig sabihin?” “Yeah, probably snail mail at telegram, kasi ngayon, ano, what do we use to send letters?” “Citizenship, or saan ka nakatira, where do you reside, okay, kaya meron tayong multiple nationalities.” Clarification/ Reiteration “Ano ‘yung mga meanings behind the tattoos of people or is that just for self-expression?” “Gaano ka kapetite, petite po ang tawag sa’tin.” “X component mo, the displacement mo, so, we will start from the x.” Conveying intimacy/ solidarity“Wow! Ang galing galing mo naman!” “Noong tinikman ko ‘yung icing, parang may flashback at naalala ko ‘yung childhood days ko kasi ‘yun ang lasa ng icing.” “Pwedeng ‘yung iba kaya bumibili ng gano’n kasi ‘yun ang comfort food nila.” Equivalence “Nasabi ko na ‘to sa klase before, ‘yung mga seen mode sa GC.” “We should have the common ground po tapos po to get a dialogue.” “If yung customer, sir, ay ayaw na iyong dating product...mag-iinvent ng new product.” Explanation/ Elaboration“Parang ang meaning niya pala ‘yun kapag may nakita kang babae na may Medusa is naka- experience siya ng mga sexual assault or sexual harassment.” “Sabi nung customer...Do you have mango juice?” and sagot ng server...Regular or Large?” “Ma’am, ano, unlike nationality, hindi pwedeng, ano, hindi pwedeng magpalit sa race.” Floor-holding “Probably siguro, ano, various sources of energy.” “Wait, iniisip ko ‘yung, the range.” “Nung unang panahon...kapag wala kang pan-tuition…” Loss of words “Pwedeng tumatango kayo, nagno’non-verbal kayo…” “Tagging of earlobes, paghawak-hawak sa tenga.” Translation “In other words, affiliates is iyong kinabibilangan.” “Ano ibig sabihin niyan? What does that mean?” Discussion Code-switching has been extensively studied over the past few decades, and two of the most common conceptions have to do with communicative language ability or proficiency in two codes, or the opposite – incompetence in the target language. The researchers, however, maintain the former. They adopt what Bautista (2004) termed as proficiency-driven type of Tagalog-English (Taglish) code-switching in which the interactants (teachers and students) are competent in the two languages and can easily switch from one to the other, for maximum efficiency or effect. As have been observed by various experts in the field of bilingualism, code-switching does in fact serve a number of communicative purposes. Horasan (2014) conducted research on CS in EFL classrooms and claimed that it could signify a communicative classroom function like going over classroom procedures, expressing worries, or repeating for confirmation. Parmis et al. (2020) also maintain that CS is a teaching tool that bridges the gap between comprehension and clarification in the Pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet Am. J. Educ. Technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 classroom. As a result, moving between L2 and L1 could be interpreted as an attempt to create a bridge to language fluency in both. Teachers also employ code-switching to convey important information and to make meaning clear by using the students' home languages. This makes it advantageous for both students and teachers (Memory et al, 2018). Fachriyah (2017) also mentioned that code- switching in language instruction has multiple functions that support an effective learning process. These functions include (1) clarification, (2) reiteration or repetition, (3) explanation, (4) asking, (5) translation. Tabassum et. al. (2020) also proposed other factors, such as equivalence and floor-holding. Additionally, Muthusamy et al. (2020) stated that conveying intimacy or solidarity is another factor that drives code-switching. Meanwhile, Roxas (2019) believed that CS is used to aid ‘loss of words.’ Code-switching in classroom interactions fulfills several communicative functions that collectively enhance instructional effectiveness. First, asking questions using code-switching stimulates student response and encourages participation, especially when familiar native terms are used to elicit meaning (Fachriyah, 2017; Sert, 2005; Memory et al., 2018). Second, clarification or reiteration serves to emphasize or repeat messages in another code for better understanding, often driven by lexical need (Tabassum et al., 2020; Zetri et al., 2018; Horasan, 2014). Third, to convey intimacy and solidarity, speakers use native possessives or compliments to reduce social distance and foster familiarity (Majid, 2019; Muthusamy et al., 2020; Alqarni, 2020). Fourth, equivalence occurs when native expressions are inserted in lieu of hard-to-translate English concepts or respect markers, promoting fluency in expression (Sert, 2005; Girsang, 2015). Fifth, explanation and elaboration involve switching to better explain abstract concepts or personal experiences, enabling speakers to clarify their thoughts using their full linguistic resources (Fachriyah, 2017; Nurzahidah, 2020; Moore, 2022). Sixth, floor-holding entails the use of fillers or interjections in the native language to prevent breakdowns and fill pauses during speech (Tabassum et al., 2020; Shay, 2015; Parmis et al., 2020). Seventh, loss of words prompts spontaneous intra-lexical switching when speakers forget or lack an appropriate term, a common issue in informal classroom talk (Roxas, 2019; Yoosuf, 2020). Lastly, translation involves deliberate switching to define or explain terms for clearer understanding, especially when introducing new vocabulary or concepts (Shartiely, 2016; Gulzar, 2010; Bhatti et al., 2018). Despite the diversity of these functions, they all serve a macro goal of communicative efficiency, as defined by Bautista (2004), enabling speakers to choose the most expressive and convenient way of conveying meaning with minimal effort, thus fostering both linguistic comprehension and classroom rapport. CONCLUSIONS As the brief discussion has shown, a rich corpus of language in one area of language use in the Philippines has resulted from classroom interaction among the teachers and students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM). The sparse data studied above contains numerous instances of the four code-switching patterns, including intra-sentential, inter-sentential, tag- switching, and intra-word mixing. It also showed eight code-switching factors emerging inside the classroom interactions. Meanwhile, even the modest preliminary analysis presented here demonstrates the potential of such discourse events to provide extensive, highly contextualized databases that can be used to test and refine the hypothesis proposed by scholars investigating code-switching patterns and factors in other domains and genres. Further analysis of this corpus, informed by additional research, should yield more insightful observations into patterns and factors affecting code- switching, and will probably motivate a re-evaluation of the conclusions reached here. In order to avoid dismissing Tagalog-English code-switching as a mere instance of random or irregular language mixing caused by insufficient control of either language, it is important for educators to become aware of the sociolinguistic analyses of code-switching. Rather than being a sign of linguistic deficiency, code-switching is a form of multilingual performance that warrants further research. This study revealed the existence of identifiable code- switching patterns and influencing factors in classroom interactions. It also demonstrated that participants switch codes for various communicative purposes. Based on these findings, several recommendations are proposed. First, interviews with code-switching interactants should be included to gain deeper insights into their motivations for switching between Tagalog and English. 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