Yogyakarta, 2026 — Caku, a student of the Master’s Program in English Language Education (MPBI) at Sanata Dharma University, has successfully published a research article in the Journal of English Educational Study (JEES), a Sinta 3 acredited journal. The study explores the use of code-switching in viewer comments on the Indonesian educational YouTube channel Kok Bisa.

Entitled “Code-Switching in Viewer Comments on an Indonesian Educational YouTube Channel,” the study investigates how Indonesian and English are used together in viewer comments and how such language practices function in an educational digital environment. Caku conducted the research together with fellow researchers, examining 103 comments from two science education videos uploaded in October 2025.

Employing a descriptive qualitative content analysis approach, the study analyzed the comments based on two main perspectives: Poplack’s (1980) structural typology of code-switching and Myers-Scotton’s (1993) functional framework. The researchers examined the types of code-switching, the languages involved, and the communicative purposes behind their use.

The findings revealed that intra-sentential switching was the most frequently occurring type, accounting for 64% of the data. It was followed by inter-sentential switching at 17%, tag-switching at 14%, and intra-word switching at 5%.

The study also found that Indonesian and English were the primary languages involved in the comments, with English frequently appearing in technical and scientific terminology. In terms of communicative function, clarification was the most prominent purpose, representing 40% of the data, followed by emphasis (30%), engagement (20%), and identity expression (10%).

These findings demonstrate that code-switching in educational YouTube comments serves more than a linguistic function. The practice can support viewers in understanding complex scientific concepts while simultaneously creating opportunities for interaction and expressing aspects of bilingual identity among Indonesian digital youth.

Reflecting on the research and publication process, Caku expressed gratitude for the support received from the lecturers who guided the research from its early stages. “I am truly grateful to have such supportive and dedicated lecturers who guided me throughout the research and publication process. They supported me from the very beginning and helped me develop my research from the ground up,” Caku said.

Caku’s research contributes to the growing body of scholarship on multilingual communication in digital spaces, particularly by highlighting how language practices emerge in informal interactions surrounding educational content. The publication also reflects the MPBI program’s commitment to encouraging students to engage with contemporary issues in English language education and linguistics through research and scholarly publication.