ICLSL 2015
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10221
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Intention of Pursuing English as a Second Language by Undergraduates(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Jayasundara, J.M.P.V.K.English opens new avenues in almost all the aspects especially in communication and technology in the modern globalized world. When it comes to Sri Lankan context, English language is commonly known as Kaduwa; the sword which kills those who are not competent in it. Hence, pursuing ESL has become a widely spreading passion in contemporary Sri Lanka as no one likes to be discriminated by others caused by lack of proficiency in English. Thus, most of the students tend to follow English courses in public and private institutions. Consequently, current study intends to investigate the intention of pursuing English as a Second Language (ESL) by tertiary level students. In order to achieve the objective, primary data were collected utilizing a questionnaire survey from 96 undergraduates of Uva Wellassa University using stratified sampling technique. The results ascertained through the analysis revealed that majority of almost all the faculties has the prime intention of obtaining a nice job with attractive salaries and good working conditions through pursuing ESL recording 85%. Further, gaining the ability to read English books and magazines with ease and gaining the ability to communicate freely in English with people from different countries have been reported parallel with the percentage 72 by each as second highest intentions of respondents who follow ESL. However, thirdly most of the respondents (71%) intend to pursue ESL as they want to get a job in which they can use English. Moreover, more than half of the respondents (60%) have the intention of achieving good marks and improve their evaluation in the academic transcript. Conversely, the fewest number of respondents (19%) wants to work either for an international organization (e.g. the EU) or for a global company (e.g., Nokia) by pursuing ESL. Thus, the results are crucial in designing ESL curricular for tertiary level students in order to better facilitate learners and furthermore teachers are benefitted with selecting ESL materials and activities. In conclusion, the prospective researchers will be enlightened to conduct further research pursuing this line of the study.Item First Language Interference in Second Language Speaking With a Special Reference to the Age Factor(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Gunarathne, N.M.A.D.W.C.English language has been playing the role of the second language in Sri Lanka since the British imperialists came to Sri Lanka in 1815. Since then English language has taken significant place in Sri Lankan society because of its role as the second language. Moreover, it has become a medium of communication in both private sector and government sector in providing a wide range of employments and it has become the language of not only the upper class but also upper middle class. Therefore learning and teaching English Language in Sri Lanka have been given priority. However, a problem encountered in the field of English is that although the second language learners are fluent in writing, why the learners cannot achieve native like speech in speaking the English as a second Language. Hence the research focuses on exploring the reason for the above issue. A survey was done taking 120 students whose first language is Sinhala with the intention of identifying the errors made by the second language learners in speaking English as a second language. In order to accumulate the necessary data, both quantitative and qualititative methods are used. Questionnaires, interviews have been done under these methods and in addition to that each student is supposed to make a speech of 3 minutes which is recorded for analyzing the changes of phonology of each language. The results reveal that the learner’s first language interferes when they speak the second language which can also be defined as mother tongue interference or phonetic interference. Moreover the data manifest that the interference occurs where the learner find difficulty to pronounce the sounds of English Language. Thereby these sounds are often replaced by similar sounds in Sinhala sound system. What is more to remark is that this mispronunciation also causes semantic errors and it will be a barrier to the communication. Extending the research further, it is also found that “Age” is a cause for the interference and plays a crucial role in learning a second language. The research draws the attention of the responsible authorities and academics that facilitate teaching and learning English as a second language in Sri Lanka.Item Extensive Reading in Developing Solutions to Improve the English Language Competence(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Wanasinghe, W.M.S.P.K.While English is considered a key factor of one’s success as a member of the globalized society most undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts do not possess a significant command of English. Most students do not have an environment conducive to use English for oral and written communication. As these undergraduates are bound to depend on their own energies, it is necessary to investigate new methods and implement them in order to motivate them in their pursuit of English. Extensive reading is considered as an effective strategy to keep the learners engaged in their pursuit of English. Therefor this research focuses its attention on promoting extensive reading as a strategy to improve the literacy level in English of the students in the Faculty of Arts. The main objective of this study was to develop a methodology which promotes extensive reading. That methodology will focus on introducing a new culture of reading in English external to their classroom requirements. This research was focused on the students of the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo. Necessary data was gathered based on the Faculty of Arts. A survey was done in order to find out learners reading habits and attitudes towards the concept extensive reading. New solutions were developed to implement a new reading culture among the students. The outcome of the entire process was considered as a case study as all the activities are focused on the Faculty of Arts. Questionnaires, interviews and test papers were used as tools. There were 30 students in the sample and they were given a pre-test before practicing extensive reading activities. After completing extensive reading activities they were given a post test. Out of 30 students 27 students had improved their proficiency level in English in certain aspects. Research findings helped to develop a mechanism to increase proficiency level of students in English. Extensive reading activities that allow students to respond on a personal level to their books encourage students to read and allow them to enjoy what they have read. Such activities can interfere with students enjoying reading in English and help them to improve their English language competence.