Code switching and the communicative competence

Abstract

This research is expected to describe the relationship between “codeswitching and the communicative competence," considering the switching from English to Spanish in EFL classrooms. This examination was coordinated using a qualitative-quantitative methodology by administering a validated questionnaire to about one hundred and forty respondents from the target population. The purpose of this questionnaire was to analyze the usage of codeswitching and its contribution to the communicative competence. The subjects of the questionnaire were university students of the first, second and third semesters of the PINE program at the “Universidad Técnica de Ambato.” Thinking about the results of the present investigation, it can be seen that the use of codeswitching in ELF classrooms aids the communicative competence, since the students see codeswitching as a tool that allows them to have a better communication both between classmates and with their teachers