Abstract:
This study investigates the role of teachers’ meta-discourse in their mother
tongue within English Medium Instruction (EMI) content classrooms, focusing
on Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes at a higher education
institute in Sri Lanka. The primary aim is to identify and analyse the functions
fulfilled by mother tongue meta-discourse during classroom interactions.
Adopting a qualitative research design, data were collected through audio
recordings of naturally occurring teacher talk across multiple sessions in
Accountancy, Management, and Information Technology classrooms. These
were transcribed and analysed manually, with attention to recurring instances
of mother tongue use functioning as meta-discourse. Supplementary data
from classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with lecturers
were triangulated to validate the findings and provide contextual depth. The
data analysis followed a thematic approach, drawing on discourse analytic
techniques to identify the patterns and pragmatic functions of such language
use. Findings reveal that teachers’ use of mother tongue meta-discourse serves
several pedagogical functions, including organising classroom discourse,
clarifying complex concepts, managing classroom routines, scaffolding
learner understanding, and encouraging student participation. A key finding
in the study is how the use of mother tongue meta-discourse in EMI contexts
is not merely compensatory but strategic, contributing to meaning-making,
relational dynamics, and cognitive access. The study also finds that such
practices are largely intuitive rather than systematically planned, highlighting
a gap in pedagogical awareness. These insights emphasise the educational
value of teacher code alternation in EMI settings and suggest the need
for reflective teacher training that recognises and refines these instinctive
practices. The study offers implications for both EMI policy and pedagogical
development, particularly in multilingual higher education contexts.
