Code-Switching in English Curriculum Delivery in Rural South African Universities: Pedagogical Roles, Benefits, and Challenges for Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

This systematic literature review examines how code-switching (CS) functions in English instruction at rural South African universities for preservice teachers, highlighting its advantages and challenges. Although English is the primary language of instruction in higher education, most students in these settings speak African home languages, which pose major challenges to understanding and academic success. The review combines research from peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and policy documents published between 2010 and 2025, drawing on Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory and Cummins' Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis. The researchers started with 1281 documents collected from Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus and identified 186 studies that met their research requirements, which they analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The study identified five themes: CS as strategic pedagogical scaffolding; the promotion of inclusivity and affective security; the policy–practice disconnect; meta-pedagogical modelling for pre-service teacher socialisation; and systemic resource, stigma, and training deficits. The findings show that CS is an effective teaching method when grounded in theory, connecting students' native language skills with academic English. The system faces major limitations due to its English-only teaching rules, the absence of formal CS guidelines, and insufficient instructor training. The review indicates that South Africa requires specialised teacher-training programmes that will prepare pre-service teachers to work in multilingual educational settings in rural areas.