Unwritten Rules: Code Choice in Task-Based Learner Discourse in an EMI Context in Japan

Abstract

This chapter reports on an exploratory study into learners’ perspectives on the use of their first language during an oral presentation task in a Japanese EMI context. Data included video- and audio-recordings of task-based peer-interaction and stimulated recall interviews collected from first year undergraduate English majors (ten learners in five pairs) in a university in Japan. Qualitative data analysis involved the iterative coding of instances of L1 use according to functions identified in previous research, as well as those emerging from the data. These data were then triangulated with stimulated recall data to identify salient features of L1 use as identified by the learners themselves. Learners also provided their perspectives on the principled use of L1 in L2 interaction and learning, with many expressing support for the ‘English only’ policy of their institution, as well as an indication of how and why they draw on their L1. The results provide evidence that learners in EMI contexts naturally and productively draw on the linguistic resources available to them to complete classroom L2 tasks. In recognition of this, the chapter concludes with suggestions for task-based language policies which take into account learners’ perspectives and the variable cognitive complexity of classroom tasks.