Code-switching as a strategy for communication by third grade students in bilingual classrooms

The purpose of this study was to explore what functions code-switching serves in Spanish-English bilingual classrooms and what influence certain situational variables had on this linguistic behavior. In order to accomplish the purpose of this study, the researcher attempted to answer the following questions: 1. What functions does code-switching serve in bilingual classrooms? 2. Is the incidence of code-switching affected by the following variables: (a) the activity, (b) the linguistic proficiency of the speaker, (c) the presence of adults in the conversation, and (d) the absence of adults in the conversation? 3. What type of lexical switching is involved when children switch isolated words and phrases