Browsing by Author "Udeshinee, W.A.P."

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Common Characteristics of Sri Lankan English Love Poetry
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Udeshinee, W.A.P.; Senevirathna, C.
Sri Lankan English literature has evolved considerably since independence, gaining the attention and contribution of many literary critics. Even though Sri Lankan English Literature has been explored in diverse ways, a sustained scholarly discussion on Sri Lankan English love poetry is still to be developed. It is in this context that the researchers examine the common characteristics of Sri Lankan English love poetry. In this regard, selected love poems of four poets, Patrick Fernando, Lakdasa Wikkramasinha, Vihanga Perera and Vivimarie VanderPoorten will be examined as they display a cross chronology. The main objective of this study is to make a comparison of the selected poems in order to identify their common characteristics in terms of the perspective and cultural milieu and diction. Moreover, the study also aims to investigate whether these poems reflect the respective sociocultural background. Previous research on Sri Lankan English literature has attempted to discern the relationship between the native and the foreign cultures and the usage of Sri Lankan English to portray various themes of Sri Lankan English poetry. The analysis of common characteristics of Sri Lankan English love poetry has not gained much attention in research, a gap which this study attempts to address. In analyzing the poems, content analysis and literary survey will be employed as the methodology. Studies of this nature will contribute to a scholarly discussion on the love poetry of Sri Lankan English Literature.
The Impact of Using Games on Improving Speaking Skills of English as a Second Language Students
(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Alahakoon, P.P.; Udeshinee, W.A.P.
This research study is an attempt to investigate the impact of using ELT games in the classroom to improve the speaking skills of ESL learners. The research bases itself on the argument that using ELT games in the English learning classroom improves the students‟ proficiency in English. According to the previous research studies, playing games in the classroom can be viewed as a rich linguistic input and as an effective stimulus which enhance the four competences of a language: writing, reading, listening and speaking. This paper aims to investigate the impact of ELT games in enhancing English speaking skills of the undergraduates. The study will be carried out through classroom-based observations using two samples of first year undergraduates of Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology. Two classes (25 students in each class) will be selected and ELT games will be employed with one sample while the other will be taught without using ELT game. The findings of this research study demonstrate the effects of ELT games on the first year undergraduates‟ skill of English speaking. This study further suggests that the effective ELT games can be used in the classroom to improve the speaking skills of the ESL learners.
Perceptions of ESL Learners and Teachers Towards the Corrective Feedback
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Udeshinee, W.A.P.
Over the last few decades, the role played by the corrective feedback (CF) in Second Language Acquisition has become a highly controversial issue. As a facilitator in ESL classroom, the researcher has also noticed both positive and negative aspects of corrective feedback on speaking. Some students correct their errors after receiving the corrective feedback while some make the same error repeatedly. Thus, it can be assumed that sometimes students do not consciously note their errors in speaking. The researcher observes this situation as a new research avenue in Sri Lankan context, which should further be explored. In this context, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of corrective feedback on speaking through the perceptions of ESL learners and teachers. The research study was carried out among two randomly selected groups of first year IT undergraduates of Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT). One group was from the Elementary Level (N= 30) while the other group was from the Advanced Level (N= 30). The objective of selecting two different ability groups was to investigate whether the students’ perceptions towards the efficacy of corrective feedback is affected by their performance level. Data was also collected from lecturers (N= 6) who teach the first year undergraduates of SLIIT to find out their perceptions towards the effectiveness of corrective feedback. Quantitative data was collected through well-structured questionnaires and analysed using SPSS. Classroom observations are made to obtain a better picture of the perceptions of students. The findings of this research show different perceptions of Sri Lankan ESL learners and teachers towards the efficacy of corrective feedback. Most of the teachers and students believe that corrective feedback is certainly effective. Repetition is the most preferred type of corrective feedback among students of Elementary Level while implicit corrective feedback and explicit corrective feedback are the most preferred type of corrective feedback among students of Advanced Level. Moreover, this research identifies key factors that can be investigated in further research. Thus, this research has important implications for second language teaching and learning in Sri Lankan context.