Browsing by Author "Ravindran, S."

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Developing Effective Reading Skills in ESL through Blended Mode at Tertiary Level
(9th International Conference on Business and Information (ICBI-2018), Department of Management Studies and Toc H Institute of Science and Technology, India, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Ravindran, S.
Education is human right. Yet due to various negative factors such as poverty, poor educational background at home, lack of trained English teachers, not attending ESL classes regularly, no motivation, war situation and other socio, political, and cultural aspects the learners fail to obtain the reading skill proficiency. The success of mastering all four language skills and grammar in the second language is very challenging. Reading skill was considered as a passive skill. It has been taught and learnt through traditional face to face mode. Even though various teaching methods and approaches were postulated from time to time, less emphasis has been given to developing reading skills. This research is to explore whether (traditional and computer assisted blended language learning) Blended Learning mode could be utilized to develop reading skills at the tertiary level. Fifty first year students from the Faculty of Arts were taken as sample for the study. Their performances in reading skills were tested before and after teaching reading skills through the Blended Learning mode. It was found that the participants' performance in reading skills improved. The research findings disclose the fact that the Blended Learning mode has a positive impact on the development in the participants' proficiency in the reading skills. The study has an implication of recommending Blended Learning mode of teaching and learning to improve effective reading skills at the tertiary level
Facilitating the development of English language skills among the online learners at the university level:a psycholinguistic approach
(2014) Ravindran, S.
Integration of technology with face to face mode of ESL learning
(University of Kelaniya, 2011) Ravindran, S.
Technology plays an important role in education. The national and state standards require teachers to integrate technology into their teaching. But in countries such as Sri Lanka the face to face ESL programs still lack the integration of technology. This study explores the benefits of integrating technology in face to face mode of English as a Second Language learning in the Sri Lankan context. The qualitative research was based on the interviews with the fifteen staff members of the English Language Teaching Centre, University of Jaffna. The main findings indicate that participants could observe integration of technology with face to face mode and advantages in practicing each skill individually. The results of the study showed that qualitative methodology yielded evidence about the advantages in integrating technology with face to face mode of ESL learning. The study has an implication to design new ESL material incorporating technology.
Management of faecal incontinence
(State Pharmaceuticals Corporation, 1997) Deen, K.I.; Ravindran, S.
An overview on the Writing Test Performance of ESL Learners at the University Test for English language-UTEL
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ravindran, S.
The University Test on English language (UTEL) is an annual English Language test conducted simultaneously in all the universities in Sri Lanka to test the undergraduates’ proficiency levels in the four language skills. The test is conducted both through face to face and online modes. The purpose of the test is to enable the target group to know their proficiency levels in all four skills and to motivate them to improve their levels of English in order to uplift their employability. This paper discusses the performance at the University Test on English Language (UTEL) in writing skills, conducted in 2014 by the universities in Sri Lanka. A common writing test was administered to the target group to gauge the proficiency level in writing skill. The objective of the study is to find the common mistakes found in the performance in writing tests and to present an overviewon the writing test performance of ESL learners’ performances in two writing tasks.Sixty answer scripts from threedifferent universities were utilized asdata for the study. The answer scripts were corrected based on UTEL bench marking scales or descriptors and graded. Quantitative methodology was utilized to analyze the data. Thegeneral mistakes in their performances in writing test were analyzed. The findings show that the participants have made similar mistakes in writing the two tasks irrespective of their universities.The study has an implication of applying the suggestions in making better performance in writing skills at the UTELin order to enable the target group to obtain proficiency in writing skills.
The Role of Psycholinguistics Knowledge in Improving Proficiency in L2
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ravindran, S.
During the last two decades listening comprehension has received considerable attention, in the fields of applied linguistics, psycholinguistics and second language pedagogy. Listening is a complex cognitive process, in which the listener constructs the meaning using both the linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge. This study attempts to find out how psycholinguistic knowledge facilitates in improving proficiency in L2 listening skills. It is hypothesized that the psycholinguistic elements which are involved in listening skills could be introduced to both the teachers and learners to obtain mastery in the skills. A convenient sample of forty five, first year students from the Faculty of Arts were randomly selected as sample fro the study. The data collection was done by questionnaire survey and teachers’ observation. A qualitative analysis was carried out to gather information and to analyze data. Through the analysis it was found that the role of Psycholinguistic knowledge in improving proficiency in L2 listening skills is indispensable to obtain proficiency in listening skills. This study recommends that the learners need to familiarize the psycholinguistic elements which are indispensable for the improvement in the listening skill proficiency. Finally the undergraduates of the university with less proficiency in listening skills could be facilitated and enabled to improve their proficiency in listening skills.
Technology-enhanced Blended Learning in an ESL Program
(University of Kelaniya, 2012) Ravindran, S.
Despite the fact that English tends to be a compulsory subject for most university students throughout Sri Lanka, lack of active student interest and involvement serve as unique challenges for many English language teachers. Several studies have suggested that there are specific reasons why many freshmen students, in particular, lack the necessary motivation to pursue English. These reasons have ranged from student dissatisfaction of teaching methods and materials to a more general feeling of post-university entrance exam exhaustion. Blended learning, a combination of face-to-face and online instruction, is seen as one of the most important advancements of this century and a natural evolution of the learning agenda (Thorne, 2003). Blended learning allows learners to benefit from many sides of both traditional and new ways of learning, make innovation in an otherwise traditional university setting, and enjoy the experience. Integrating research and practical examples offers a good base for initiating change in universities that by definition are based on research. In this study it is intended to study the effects of technology enhanced blended learning in the first year Arts program of the University of Jaffna.
The Use of Technology in Sustaining Positive Attitude in English as a Second Language Learning
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ravindran, S.
The second language teaching and learning are conducted purely through traditional face to face modes even at this age of the advancement in technology at the tertiary level in Sri Lanka. The barriers and challenges in providing full fledged technology based Second language learning programs are still prevalent in the universities which have to be developed in order to sustain positive attitude in English as second language (ESL) learning. This study was conducted as an attempt to explore whether the use of technology will enable the learners in sustaining positive attitude in ESL learning. This is a qualitative and quantitative study based on questionnaires issued to the participants and observation from the staff. A convenient sample of first year students from the Faculty of Management and Commerce Studies students were selected and utilized as the basis for conducting the research. The researcher used tables and charts to analyze quantitative data, while qualitative analysis was based on observations of the teachers. The results showed that there is a positive correlation between the use of technology and in sustaining positive attitude in ESL. This study recommends that the use of new technology has a positive impact in sustaining positive attitude in ESL. Lastly the undergraduates of the university with less interest in learning the L2 could be motivated and enabled to sustain positive attitude in learning the L2.