The effects of code switched reading: Research and practical application

Research Review

The following excerpt on the cited article is taken from Miriam Patrick's Literature Review for Saint Mary's University and is in progress. 

Ong and Zhang (2016) considered how code-switching (CS) reading tasks can enhance comprehension and vocabulary recall in a study that consisted of 154 ESOL learners in undergraduate studies in Singapore. Participants were put into two groups, a CS reading group and a comparison group that engaged in graded reading and then further divided into three groups based on scores from a vocabulary screening test, the VLT Version 2 (Ong & Zhang, 2016). Ong and Zhang (2016) found and adapted a target text, which was evaluated for readability, and chose five target words from it; the CS group received the text largely in Chinese with the target words in English, and the comparison group received the original English reading. Neither group received explicit instruction and after given time to read the texts, both groups were asked to evaluate the target vocabulary on the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale; participants then completed a recall test five minutes later with no preparation (Ong & Zhang, 2016). Ong and Zhang (2016) found that the CS group performed better than the comparison group on vocabulary recall and that the comparison group’s success largely relied on whether the other words in the text were already acquired.    ​

Practical Application

This document, which Miriam Patrick has published to the web, will be updated as she experiments with this intervention in her classroom. Please revisit this page for updates. 

Sample Code Switched Passage

This is a sample passage taken from Dr. Elizabeth Davidson's "Tithonus et Aurora". This covers part 1 of 3. See how we did this in the practical application document below under the heading "Three Days of CS"

Reflection

As of today (10 March 2021), I've done this activity once in class and am planning to do it at least twice more. The process I've outlined above is the one I've used and plan to use in subsequent classes. This reflection is divided into two parts: (1) my observations and (2) students' reflections back to me. These reflections will be updated as I continue to work with this intervention. 
My Observations

1. I saw widespread engagement from both in person learners and digital students.
2. Students who normally are silent and do not actively engage were asking questions and responding to questions confidently.
3. Subsequent lessons, which used the original Latin, went much more smoothly and I saw engagement in both the native language (L1) and the target language (TL). 
4. Students were able to quickly identify words and call out their meanings with increasing accuracy and speed.

Student Reflections

1. This was a very efficient way to learn
2. They felt like they retained the vocabulary quickly
3. They were not worried about understanding the storyline and were able to focus on what was actually happening
4. They felt confident.​
5. They liked it.
6. They felt supported by it.
7. They noticed key words and thought to make notes (either written or mentally) more often. 
8. They had an easier time remembering things.

FAQ

This list are questions that I've been asked about the CS document and this research. If you have a question, don't hesitate to reach out and I will do my best to answer it:

1. What is the ideal number of key words to have in a code switching passage? The original study uses 5 words. I found that, as I have created the code switching documents for my class I do not have a set list of words, but I instead consider what new words we are focusing on, what words they need more context and input for, and what words are incredibly important to the story. I try to space them out so that the text isn't overwhelming and I always speak to my students after a CS passage to see how they felt. Further, we do multiple CS passages in our classes, building up to the Latin only text. 
2. What are potential follow up activities? This is included in the practical application document, but some of my favourites are: a vocabulary support game like gimkit or blooket, a google form that asks them what the key words mean, or reading the Latin and discussing it Latin. 
   

References

Ong, K. K. W., & Zhang, L. J. (2018). The effects of code-switched reading tasks on late-bilingual EFL learners’ vocabulary recall, retention and retrieval. System, 72, 13–22. https://doi-org.xxproxy.smumn.edu/10.1016/j.system.2017.10.008