Code-Switching in Classroom Discourse: A Study of Secondary School English Teachers in Kano State

This study examines the patterns and functions of code-switching in English language classroom discourse among secondary school teachers in Kano State, North West Nigeria. Code-switching, the alternation between two or more languages within a single communicative event, is a widespread phenomenon in multilingual Nigerian classrooms where English functions as the official medium of instruction alongside Hausa and other indigenous languages. Despite its prevalence, code-switching is frequently treated as a pedagogical failure rather than a resource, and its actual communicative functions in North West Nigerian classrooms remain underexplored at the undergraduate research level. The study employs a descriptive qualitative methodology, drawing on classroom observation and audio recordings from ten senior secondary school English lessons across five schools in Kano Municipal Local Government Area. Data were analysed using a thematic framework informed by recent functional models of code-switching in African multilingual classrooms. Findings indicate that teachers predominantly switch to Hausa for clarification of difficult vocabulary, disciplinary instructions, and to build rapport with students. Subject-specific technical terms in English are retained even during Hausa sequences. The study also finds that code-switching is more frequent in schools serving lower socioeconomic communities where students' English proficiency is limited. These results challenge deficit perspectives on code-switching and support its recognition as a legitimate pedagogical strategy. Recommendations include pre-service teacher training that equips English teachers with deliberate, reflective approaches to code-switching in multilingual classrooms. Keywords: code-switching, classroom discourse, English teaching, Kano State, multilingualism.