Examining Teacher Code-Switching in French Classrooms in Taraba State Secondary Schools

Teacher code-switching, the deliberate or habitual use of a language other than the target language during second language instruction, is a widely documented but contested pedagogical practice whose frequency, function, and consequences in French classrooms in Nigerian secondary schools remain insufficiently examined at the state level. This study examines the patterns, functions, and learner perceptions of teacher code-switching in French classrooms across secondary schools in Taraba State. A mixed methods design was employed, with structured observation of 48 French lessons across sixteen secondary schools in Jalingo, Wukari, and Gembu zones, combined with teacher interviews (n=22) and student focus group discussions (n=8 groups). Code-switching instances were coded by direction (French to English, French to Hausa, or French to other L1), linguistic function, and pedagogical rationale. Results indicate that teacher code-switching occupied an average of 34% of classroom time, predominantly in the French-to-English direction. Grammatical explanation and vocabulary glossing were the most frequent functional contexts for code-switching. Teacher-reported rationale centred on ensuring learner comprehension in under-resourced instructional contexts. Student focus groups expressed mixed attitudes, with a majority supporting limited code-switching for comprehension but requesting greater target language exposure for communicative practice. The study recommends a structured code-switching reduction protocol that maintains comprehension support through visual and contextual scaffolding rather than language switching, and provides a teacher professional development workshop design for its implementation. Keywords: teacher code-switching, French classroom, Taraba State, secondary schools, bilingual pedagogy