Browsing by Author "Randhuli, I."

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Awareness and Perceptions on Politically Correct Language among University Undergraduates
(Proceedings of the Undergraduate Research Symposium (HUG 2019), Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya. Sri Lanka, 2019) Randhuli, I.; Ilfa, I.
Politically Correct Language which is commonly known as PC is among one of the neglected areas in the society. However, Politically Correct Language is vital because it avoids offence of any form, discrimination, judgment, especially concerning ethnicity and gender. Due to several reasons, in present Sri Lanka there are many parties who promote politically incorrect- racist, sexist content to achieve personal agendas. Hence significantly, this research intended to investigate instances where politically incorrect language is used in various domains of society. When concerning media, in the recent past, there were several instances where politically incorrect language, which is offensive to many parties, has been used. Many people are unaware of the language they use being as such. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness and perceptions of this issue among fifty undergraduates in Sri Lankan universities. The rationale behind the sample was the assumption that the participants belong to a group which possesses a considerable level of education and therefore possesses the knowledge to detect such language in use. An online survey and face to face interviews were conducted in order to obtain data. Thus, both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to gather data. The obtained data was analyzed using SPSS and thematic analysis. The study considered (i) whether or not the participant identifies the problem with the content (ii) whether the participants identifies the exact terminology/ meaning of the content (iii) whether or not he/she possesses the knowledge to choose an alternative correct substitute. The findings revealed that most of the undergraduates were able to identify certain politically incorrect terms and content regardless of the categories. They also suggested that politically correct language is important and should be implemented in certain fields. However, it should be noted that some posts were not recognized and those issues need attention. The findings are useful to develop the use of English with political correctness in society, to objectify politically correct language and to promote the importance of politically correct language.
Challenges faced by University Students in Foreign Language Acquisition
(English Language Teaching Unit, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Randhuli, I.; Jayasinghe, M.; Samaraweera, S.; Kaushalya, K.
University students encounter various challenges in learning a second or a foreign language. The research intends to figure out those challenges in making headway with the new target language from conversational to mastery. In fact, we separately plan to pinpoint the undergoing challenges with respect to skills of speaking and writing in accordance with the levels of language fluency at the moment. For this purpose, the methodology of this cohort and retrospective study is comprised of a structured questionnaire to be answered by “Beginner” and “Intermediate” students of foreign languages. The respondents are chosen effectively focusing on both Sri Lankan and Foreign students of university in order to acquire high accuracy in conclusions. The initial portion of the questionnaire focuses on identifying the student relative to the foreign language they learn, determining the level of fluency. The rest of the questionnaire is substantially directed upon the challenges they have confronted in writing and speaking the target language and their subjective solutions. The methodology, strategies of overcoming these challenges they face in beginner and intermediate levels in order to advance the language are the vital concerns of the research. How the resemblances of a known language can help to proceed for the comprehension of the new, whether it be the learner’s first language or another, is to be examined. Therefore the collection of obtained data is to be analyzed to determine the challenges at certain points of learning and to provide solutions to ease the process.
Effectiveness of Rubrics Used for Assessing Presentation Skills of the Undergraduates of Bachelors‟ in Business Management Degree Program of the University of Kelaniya
(Proceedings of the Undergraduate Research Symposium (HUG 2019), Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Randhuli, I.
In the past few years there has been a considerable shift of teaching process where the “learner-centered‟‟ teaching is recognized as being significant and critical to learning. Along with that, in the domain of assessment, there is a role reversal of the teacher and the learner which implies for the necessity of improving the skills, the learner must be aware of what aspects to improve. Similarly in assessing “presentation skills”, wherein mostly a holistic mark and feedback are the only determiners of assessment, rubrics have a remarkable impact on the „improvement continuum‟. The present study addresses the gap; the potential of a rubric being used as a part of assessment for learning rather than its traditional use of being the method of assessment of and after learning. Hence, the objectives of the study are (i) to examine the accessibility and userfriendliness of the rubrics to evaluate the candidates (ii) to evaluate the effect of the type of feedback provided using rubric to the candidates after performance (whether it is individual or group, which criteria of rubric are being commented on). (iii) to investigate the extent of familiarity of the candidates with the rubrics and its impact on their performance (whether the familiarity is proportional to the obtained marks). The sample is 15 undergraduates of Bachelors in Business Management (Marketing) in the University of Kelaniya and the visiting lecturer who is coordinating the course “People‟s Skills”- which decides their internship opportunities depending on their score in the course. The rationale for selecting the sample group is the importance of presentation skill for marketing undergraduates and the importance of score in order to get selected to the internship program at Unilever and Nestle offered to a limited number of students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted along with class observations and analysis of marks sheets for the division of marks. The data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis Framework.