[01] Naif Masrahi, English Language Centre, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

This paper reports on the quantitative research carried out to explore the causes of Code Switching by Low Level EFL learners at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. Code switching is a frequently observed phenomenon in a bilingual or multilingual environment and language learners often turn to their native tongue in a foreign language classroom. Code switching has been observed in both teachers and students’ discourse. Though code switching has not been much encouraged by the linguists but considered a favourable tool if language learners are failed to accommodate with the barriers of the target language. This paper employs questionnaire technique to collect the data regarding the issue through teachers’ perspective. The sample consists of 29 participants; all of them are highly qualified EFL teachers at Jazan University from multilingual backgrounds and diverse nationalities. The results demonstrate that students switch code on account of multiple reasons including learning and social factors. Nevertheless, code switching facilitates learners when they lack lexical or syntactical knowledge, The English Language Centre of Jazan University needs to devise a strategy to minimise it to the least possible level.

Sociolinguistics, Code Switching, L1

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