Abstract:
Students' attendance in Proficiency Courses in English offered by English Language Teaching
Units ( ELTUs) in universities is claimed to be deteriorating in comparison to attendance
in other lectures. This problem is common to a considerable number of universities such
as university of Colombo, Sri-Jayawardanapura, Kelaniya and Ruhuna especially in the
faculties of Arts, Management and Law. There is research to prove that absenteeism can
be a demotivating factor, which can have a negative impact on administration, lecturers,
instructors and the students who regularly participate in lectures. When the students get
absent for English lessons the repercussions are severe as English is a language, which has
to be acquired through lot of practice.
This study was an attempt to investigate the causes pertaining to poor attendance in English
courses offered by ELTUs in universities. It was conducted with a special focus to the
faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo. In conducting this research
students attendance registers were analyzed. Questionnaires were administered. Interviews
and group discussions were conducted. Chi-squire test of independence was applied in
relation to attendance and performance. At the end of the research inconvenient time
tables, the load of work in the main subjects and the professional subjects, lack of interest,
unsatisfactory classroom conditions, traditional teaching methods and outdated lesson
materials are investigated as notable factors that affect attendance.
