Browsing by Author "Cooray, B.M.S."

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An Analysis on Common Errors Made by German Language Learners Working in the Travel and Tourism Sector
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Cooray, B.M.S.
Being .a global industry, tourism involves cross-cultural encounters where Foreign Languages play a crucial role. Mastering a Foreign Language proficiency is considered essential for employees working in the tourism sector, as it provides many benefits for employees to enhance their interpersonal relationships between customers from different cultures and to engage in successful communications with overseas clients. The tourist arrival data, published by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) for February 2019 shows that India, the United Kingdom, China, France and Germany are the five most important international tourist markets in Sri Lanka in February this year. (Gamini Gunaratna, S.2019)2 Due to the increasing tourist arrivals in the recent years, many employment opportunities are being created for qualified graduates with a foreign language speaking background. Yet, the lack of practical knowledge and experience of graduates in the travel and tourism sector was questioned by many experts during the past few years. The main objective of this research is to do an analysis on the common errors made by the German language learnt Graduates in the travel and tourism sector to identify how the errors could be minimized through professional training oriented teaching activities during their undergraduate period. Expert interview data collection method, which uses to collect data from experts in a particular subject field was used to collect data from the tour guides. When selecting the research sample, purposeful sampling method was used and priority was given for individuals with the most experience in the German market. This research is beneficial for the professional purposes course unit, conducted by the Department of Modern Languages for German, Russian, Korean, French, Chinese and for Japanese Language learners focusing professional training in the travel and tourism sector, to identify the pitfalls in their current teaching methods. The findings of the research revealed that the errors made by foreign language learning graduates, in the tourism sector, can be mainly divided in to two categories, which are errors made due to lack of knowledge and experience and errors made due to lack of cultural competency. Through the data analysis it was revealed that the graduates receive more theoretical knowledge than practical training during their teaching sessions at the university. Furthermore, it was identified that although the culture teaching activities used to enhance the learner’s cultural knowledge about the target language country are at a satisfactory level, the graduates find it difficult to interact with tourists representing different cultural backgrounds when they enter in to the professional working environment. Therefore it was suggested, that there is the necessity to introduce teaching activities not only to enhance the learner’s knowledge about the target language culture but also about common cultural themes such as cultural conflicts, stereotypes, discriminations and about prejudices. In addition to that, it was highlighted that the learners should be given more opportunities to participate for overseas training programs, workshops, internships and field visits which enhance both their theoretical and practical knowledge about the future working environment
Cultural competency in foreign language teaching for successful interpersonal skills in culturally diverse working environments
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Cooray, B.M.S.
Cultural competency refers to a set of attitudes, behaviors and skills that enable a person to work successfully in a cross-cultural setting. Cultural competency is more than just being aware of difference; it refers to demonstrating attitudes and an approach that allows you to work effectively cross-culturally. One of the most comprehensive studies based on cultural diversity at workplace was conducted by Professor Geert Hofstede. He analyzed a large database of employee value scores collected within IBM between 1967 and 1973 covering more than 70 countries, based on which he has presented six cultural dimension theories. A closer look to the literature reveals, that the research pertaining to cultural competence is limited only to workforce diversity and no references on this topic seem to exist on cultural competence in Foreign Language Teaching. Therefore this research seeks to identify the importance of integrating cultural competency into foreign language curriculum as a new language competency. The aim of this research is to examine how pertinent it is to integrate cultural competency oriented teaching activities into Foreign Language curriculum to intensify the cultural awareness of Foreign Language learners. The research sample consisted of 25 Graduates, who have graduated during last three academic years from the Department of Modern Languages, University of Kelaniya. These Graduates have followed German as Foreign Language during their general and special degree program and now working as employees at both local and overseas agencies. Two data collecting techniques were used for the research. A questionnaire was distributed during the first data collection session and a narrative interview was conducted during the second session limiting the sample to five participants. When comparing the data collected from both the questionnaires and from the narrative interview, it was evident, that many had difficulties in working in culturally diverse working environments, although they have been exposed to adequate cultural knowledge during teaching sessions. According to the findings of the research, it was evident, that language and literature competencies are not adequate for foreign language learners to become professionals in diverse cultural environments and focus should be given to teaching materials to train students to deal with conflicts, misunderstandings, and cultural intolerance in professional working environments.
Difficulties encountered by students in reading German literature
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Cooray, B.M.S.
This paper focuses on the difficulties encountered by the second year students of German studies at the University of Kelaniya in learning German literature. Literary study which involves reading, understanding and analyzing the work of authors such as poems, dramas, novels, short stories and essays is a core curriculum in any foreign language where the student is expected to examine the lifestyle, norms and traditions, feelings and emotions and the life experiences of people living in the target language country. The students of German of the Department of Modern Languages of the University of Kelaniya, are introduced to German literature in their second year consisting of three poems and two dramas written by famous German authors and poets. The students who have studied grammatical, syntactical and phonetic structures of the language in their first year find it challenging to learn German literature from second year onwards. The objective of this research is to examine the difficulties encountered by the students, what steps could be taken to overcome these difficulties and what suggestions could be given to teaching literature with a more friendly and student oriented approach. This research is based upon the data collected by the distribution of a questionnaire followed by a semi-structured interview with the students, classroom observations, year-end examination evaluation results and interviews with the lecturers teaching German literature to identify the common errors made by students in learning German literature and their experiences about students’ difficulties in learning literature. According to the findings of the research, it was evident that students have difficulties in language proficiency, identifying different themes, genres, characteristics and literary techniques. Therefore, it was suggested to familiarize students with the background of the texts and their historical significance using visual materials such as films, paintings and videos which also assist them in improving their imagination and creativity and also to train them to express their viewpoint about certain social issues and to relate them to their day today lives.
The impact of authentic materials on enhancing Cross Cultural Skills of German Tourism learners
(4th International Conference on Social Sciences 2018, Research Centre for Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Cooray, B.M.S.
The language proficiency in multiple foreign languages, is a required prerequisite, for successful communication in the tourism industry. Tourism industry which has become one of the main foreign income sources in Sri Lanka, is recruiting graduates with high foreign language proficiency skills, for a productive development of intercultural competence in the area of tourism and hospitality management. Therefore teaching Foreign Languages for tourism learners, can be regarded as a new academic discipline, which aims to bridge the gap between foreign language teaching with specific language learning skills required for current and future professionals in the field of tourism. Foreign language sessions for tourism learners are based on developing specific language skills required for tourism, while fostering cross cultural awareness. This study was designed to investigate how effective is the use of authentic materials, in enhancing the cross cultural skills of tourism learners. Authentic materials can be defined as “language materials that were originally designed to be used by first language speakers and were not intended for use by language learners (Nunan & Miller, 1995). Authentic materials such as Flyers, brochures, menu cards, hotel catalogs, magazines, train tickets and invitation cards are not being designed for language teaching purposes, but to fulfil the daily social requirements of the native speakers of the target language country. Therefore they contain authentic up to date real life situation based information, which provide the learners, the first-hand experience of travelers, visiting the target language country. This research is based on class room observations and data collected by semi structured interviews and distributed questionnaires among tourism learners. According to the findings of the research, it was evident, that the use of authentic materials, including audio visual and printed materials for German tourism teaching sessions, allow the learners to make contact with the real-life language experiences of the target culture and is also a great motivational factor for the learners to develop cross cultural sensitivity to overcome cultural barriers when working with customers, employees and suppliers from diverse cultural backgrounds
Infanticide as fiction: Goethe’s Faust as a model
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2014) Cooray, B.M.S.
The Portrayal of Women as A Hidden Weapon in World War One Graphic Art Propaganda
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Cooray, B.M.S.
The war propaganda campaign during the First World War from 1914- 1918 is known as the first war in history, in which both the allies and the axis have devoted massive resources to producing propaganda systematically, in which mass media and propaganda have played a significant role in sustaining military campaign. Numerous print media, such as postcards, posters, comics, cartoons, Flyers, Newspapers, Paintings and magazines were published to keep the civilians informed about the occurring in the battlefield, while maintaining their morale and generating interest in war savings, loans and bonds while recruiting soldiers to the military. The role of women changed dramatically with the starting of the war, by recruiting them in to the jobs vacated by the men. With this Transformation of roles, women were used in war propaganda as victims of rape, torture and violence, as homemakers, as national allegories and as active participants of war applying moral and sexual pressure on men to be recruited in to the regiments. The Objective of this research is to examine the motifs of both allies and axis behind the portrayal of women in the graphic art war propaganda of the world war one. This research is based on selected war posters from both the allies and axis and on comparing how women were used in posters by each nation to achieve their military goals. According to the findings of the research, it was evident, that the propaganda campaign was subjected to a specific audience of the society. Therefore, the role of the women used in posters and the slogans were selected carefully, to appall the conscience of the audience with numerous subject matters, in which the most common were exploiting the mistakes made by the enemy, justifying war to the civilians, recruitment to the army forces, rewarding the sacrifices of the soldiers and conjuring up the feelings of required patriotism.
The Problems Encountered in Using Communicative Language Teaching in Teaching German as a Foreign Language
(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Cooray, B.M.S.
This paper focuses on the difficulties encountered by the teachers in using communicative teaching method in teaching German as a foreign language. The communicative language teaching which emerged in the 1970s and 1980s after the mechanical practice of audio-lingual method consists of interactive communication sessions where the learner is eligible to engage in authentic meaningful communication. The objective of this research is to examine what difficulties are encountered by the teachers in using communicative language teaching method in teaching German as a foreign language at the university of Kelaniya and what steps should be taken to overcome these difficulties in order to use communicative teaching method more effectively. This research is based upon the data collected by a questionnaire distributed among the German teachers, followed by semi structured interviews and classroom observations to analyse their experiences in dealing with the difficulties in using communicative teaching method. According to the findings of the research it was evident that the lack of class room environment suitable for a communicative language teaching, the traditional frontal teaching method which makes the students difficult to adopt to the communicative learning method, and the number of students exceeding the capacity for a communicative classroom were the main difficulties encountered by teachers in using communicative method. It was suggested to divide the students in to small groups to use games and to implement more authentic classroom activities, give students positive encouragement, limit error correction during speaking and to improve the classroom facilities which is suitable for a communicative classroom to get more effective use of communicative teaching.
Teaching Strategies to overcome Internal Differenciation (Binnendifferenzierung) in teaching German as a Foreign Language.
(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Cooray, B.M.S.
The German term “Binnendifferenzierung”, is often referred to as internal differentiation, which signifies all forms of differentiation within a group of learners who are taught jointly, using variety of methods to deal with the differences between learners without permanently dividing the entire group( Klafki & Stöcker, 1991)1. The first year German special Degree student group, in 2016, at the Department of Modern Languages, University of Kelaniya, consisted not only with individuals with different learning styles, such as visual and auditory learners, but also with different learning paces (slow learners and fast learners) and with different language proficiency levels. Therefore, it was questionable, whether it is possible, to achieve a common learning outcome by using common learning materials for the whole class. The assessment marks, teacher‟s remarks about the level of performance of students in classrooms, were taken in to consideration, when preparing learning materials, which are compatible with the different learning styles of students, giving priority for slow learners, but at the same time, without interfering the learning pace of the fast learners. The objective of this research is to identify the pitfalls encountered in teaching German as a foreign language, for an internally differentiated learning group, and to introduce teaching techniques, which were used successfully in teaching German as a Foreign Language, for the selected research sample. This research is based on records of classroom observations, remarks of teachers and evaluation marks of students before and after implementing the suggested teaching methodologies. According to the findings of the research, it proves that there is a possibility for a multilevel classroom, to obtain a common learning outcome, by preparing separate learning materials, targeting different learning styles and paces of individuals while level tasks are assigned using variety of groupings (Sozial Formen) such as partner work, individual work and group work.
The Use of Commercial Videos as Authentic Materials in Improving the Practice of Intercultural Skills of Foreign Language Learners
(19th Conference on Postgraduate Research, International Postgraduate Research Conference 2018, Faculty of Graduate Studies,University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Cooray, B.M.S.
“The combination of moving picture and sound can present language more comprehensively than any other teaching medium and a video sequence watched in class, makes students more ready to communicate in the target language” Stempleski and Tomalin (1990) “The language teachers can use different commercials for different levels of groups in the same class, or they can use the same commercial, but then focus on different linguistic or cultural elements which would help the students to understand the cultural aspects of the target language country, where access to native speakers and authentic language is limited”. Mori and Young (2010) Although previous research has investigated the use of commercial videos in teaching English as a second language, research based on improving the intercultural skills of Sri Lankan German language learners, using commercial videos, is not yet being conducted. Therefore, this research seeks to identify, how pertinent it is to use commercial videos, as authentic materials, in teaching cultural aspects of the target language country, for Sri Lankan learners, learning German as a foreign language at the Department of Modern Languages, University of Kelaniya. The research sample consisted of first year special degree students and the research was conducted in two teaching sessions, where one session was conducted using a printed reading comprehension text followed by guided questions and the other was conducted using commercial videos based on the same topic. A semi structured interview was arranged with the learners, to identify what cultural aspects of the target language country were identified in each session. The findings of the research revealed, that in contrast to the printed materials, the use of commercial videos have shown a significant effect on word-acquisition, where certain catchy words and phrases repeated in the commercials are easily remembered by the learners. The symbolic use of humor, sarcasm, stereotypes and the messages conveyed indirectly, through both verbal and nonverbal communication in commercials, have being encountered by learners as interesting and helpful in visualizing the real life situations in a more memorable way. Furthermore, the authentic communication situations in commercials have attracted the learner’s attention, where some were reported to be shocked and have experienced certain cultural aspects of the target language country for the first time, in a realistic setting. The interactive activities conducted at the second teaching session have proven, that the use of television commercials, has not only improved the learners’ vocabulary, but also their oral and presentation skills and have assisted them to acquire a broader understanding about the cultural norms, ethics, values and day today life experiences of the native speakers in a more realistic scenario