A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF TEACHER CODE- SWITCHING IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION INSTRUCTIONS

Abstract

This paper presents a preliminary case study of a contemporary Islamic discourse in the form of a madrasah weekend holiday camp in Singapore. Although the students are Malay, the camp was conducted predominantly in English as mandated by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS – Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura). This in turn had an empowering effect on the students as it was aligned with the medium of instruction in the mainstream educational system. In this regard, the study looks at the instructional implications as a result of the intersection between the use of English as a medium of instruction and the sacred literacy that is situated in the social and cultural domains. More specifically, it investigates the nature of code-switching in lesson instructions from English as the medium of instructions to Malay, its possible motivations and potential implications on the students. The findings of the study point to the strategic use of code-switching from English to Malay as a tool to enhance sacred literacy processes and instructions by capitalizing on the common mother tongue shared by the students and the teacher as it serves both facilitative and affective functions.