THE EFFECT OF CODE-SWITCHING IN WRITING: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY BASED ON BEGINNER CHINESE LEARNERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJHPL.933001Keywords:
Beginner Learner, Chinese Writing, Code-Switching, CSL, Experimental StudyAbstract
This study investigates the effectiveness of English-Chinese code-switching (CS) in enhancing Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) learners' writing performance. Through an experimental design, the research compares the impact of CS on writing outcomes with that of traditional writing training among beginner CSL learners. A total of 365 participants from two public universities in Xi'an, China, were divided into an experimental group (n=125) and a control group (n=240). The experimental group received English-Chinese CS interventions during writing tasks, while the control group followed conventional monolingual Chinese writing instruction. Pre- and post-test writing scores were analyzed using independent and paired samples t-tests. The results indicate that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in post-test scores, showing medium effect sizes (d=0.232). Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated greater progress from pre- to post-test compared to the control group (d=0.812 vs. d=0.731). These findings suggest that CS may function as a cognitive resource in CSL writing, supporting improvement in writing performance. This study provides empirical evidence on the potential benefits of integrating CS into language learning tasks, suggesting a possible approach for supporting writing development among beginner CSL learners.
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