Browsing by Author "Bakeerathan, M."

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The Effects of Task Based Techniques on the Development of Oral Competency in Low Proficient Learners
(In: Proceedings of the International Postgraduate Research Conference 2017 (IPRC – 2017), Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Bakeerathan, M.
Task based Language Teaching, one of the techniques come under Communicative Language Teaching, has been flourished by scholars like, David Nunan, M.P. Breen and Rod Ellis. Tasks which are meaning focused; make the ESL learners more self-directed and creative. The present research is an attempt to provide new evidence for the efficacy of task-based techniques in the development of oral competency among the ESL learners of tertiary level. The study attempted to answer the question as whether there is any statistically significant difference between the subjects' mean scores on the overall oral performance in English speaking test before and after the intervention programme of TBLT techniques in the ESL speaking classes. The study also aimed at evaluating whether there were any developments in the aspects of speaking skill like content, accuracy, fluency and pronunciation through the application of TBLT techniques in ESL teaching. Forty tertiary level ESL learners including nineteen males and twenty-one females from the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce were selected and divided into two groups – Experimental and Control group - for the study. A task-based language teaching program of ESL speaking was developed by the researcher for the experimental group whereas the control group was taught in the conventional method for one semester. Since mixed methodology was adopted by the researcher to analyze the data, she used the research tools like, observation, interviews, questionnaires and speaking tests for the collection of data. A set of independent sample ttests were conducted to find out the difference in the pre and post- tests. The results of the observation, interview and the questionnaire revealed positive effects towards implementing TBLT in ESL speaking classes and the independent sample t-tests revealed that the students of the experimental group, who were exposed to the task-based principles of teaching speaking, performed remarkably better than those of the control group in the final speaking post-test.
The impact of group work on assessing speaking skills in Task Based Language Teaching
(University of Kelaniya, 2013) Bakeerathan, M.
The use of group work in the ESL classroom has been shown to be an effective means for improving language competence, (Long, 1996, 1985; Pica, et al., 1996; Pica & Doughty, 1985). There is a growing body of evidence that group work helps the learners to build confidence and improve their language. However, peer assessment is an innovative concept which is utilized as a supplement to teacher assessment. The primary focus of this study was to determine the effect of peer assessment on developing speaking skills. An instructional programme based on Task-Based principles has been designed to improve oral skills among the ESL5 learners of the University of Jaffna. The subjects of the study included fifty three students whose main subject was Business Administration. When the designed programme was implemented as the pilot study in the ESL classroom, the rest of the class assessed the performance of their peers. The data have been collected through various tools like, observation and interviews. Questionnaires were also administered. The findings show students’ positive attitude towards group assessments in class. This contributes to a noteworthy increase in students’ participation in their groups. With the implication achieved from the pilot study, students are more aware of the important aspects in the assessing process. Therefore, they know how to train and adjust themselves as speakers. A variety of data verifies that peer assessment can improve students’ ability of rating and commenting. Meanwhile, it is also effective to improve students’ speaking ability Most students have positive attitudes towards peer assessment, agreeing with the effectiveness of peer assessment to improve one’s speaking ability, critical thinking ability, communicative ability, learning autonomy and paying attention in class.
Providing Support for Visually impaired ESL Learners of Jaffna University
(University of Kelaniya, 2012) Bakeerathan, M.
The term “visually impaired” in this study refers to the learners, who are deprived of total and partial visual perception. Since the theme of the research symposium deals with the multi-faceted nature of research, the present study has been carried out to investigate the support that can be rendered to the visually impaired English as a Second Language (ESL) learners of the University of Jaffna. The ESL teachers claim that among the four language skills, reading and writing, along with enriching vocabulary are found to be the most challenging tasks for them to deal with. As the visually impaired learners are not treated separately, the learners face numerous problems in using printed teaching materials, taking notes from the lectures, producing handwritten work and assignments, identifying spelling, decoding the meanings of unknown words and reading graphic material like, graphs, charts, maps and tables. Since, it has been a longstanding issue of the teachers of English, the present study was designed to investigate how the teachers of English can provide support for the visually impaired learners in their language learning. The subjects of the study include twenty visually impaired students including both undergraduates and graduates who passed out from the University of Jaffna. Questionnaires were administered by the teachers of English and in-depth interviews were conducted among the participants in order to collect data for the study. The findings suggest a number of practical strategies that can provide support for the visually impaired learners of English. Apart from the usual practice of allowing the learners to use tape recorders in the lecture halls, the teachers can be guided to provide teaching materials incorporated with Braille, screen readers, microcapsule papers and thermoforms. The learners can also be guided to use laptops to take notes and do assignments. The administration can assist by recruiting technical assistants with a fair knowledge of Braille to assist the teachers and learners.