IPRC - 2019
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/20881
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Item Understanding the Relevance and Implications of the “English-Only Policy” in ELT/L in Tertiary Level Education in Sri Lanka(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Ekanayake, E.M.P.E.Researchers such as Phillipson claim that the ELT/L pedagogy promoted by inner-circle English-speaking countries in the postcolonial age was founded on five fallacies: the monolingual fallacy, the native speaker fallacy, the early start fallacy, the maximum exposure fallacy, and the subtractive fallacy. Based on these arguments made by Phillipson on the linguistic imperialism of English, others like Canagarajah point out that the “English-only policy” has become part and stock of many ELT practices of periphery countries where English in not considered “native”. The current study attempts to contextualize these theories by investigating how educators and learners negotiate between the “English-only policy” and the use of the vernacular in teaching/ learning ESL in tertiary level education in Sri Lanka. The study was analytical in nature and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. 100 questionnaires were distributed among second year undergraduates of University of Peradeniya using the purposive sampling method to collect data from students belonging to all levels of competence in English. Also, data was gathered through formal interviews (18) and casual conversations (07) with ESL educators from the ELTUs of University of Peradeniya, SLIIT (Malabe) and ACBT (Kandy). The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive/ inferential analysis while the qualitative data was analyzed using discourse/ thematic analysis methods. The analysis of data collected from questionnaires distributed among students revealed that there is a correlation between high competence in English with preference towards “English-only policy” and conversely, low competence in English with preference towards the use of the vernacular in learning ESL. The data from formal interviews and casual conversations revealed that 19 out of 25 educators subscribed to the “English-only policy” due to institutional standards/ requirements, certain (sub) conscious reasons of socio-economico-educational nature. The study highlights on the paradox/ discrepancy between student/ teacher attitudes towards “English-only policy” and complex dynamics that resist the use of the vernacular in teaching/ learning which could potentially shed light into student militancy against ELT/L in tertiary education in Sri LankaItem Anxiety Experienced by Adult ESL Learners in Sri Lanka: A Case of First Year Undergraduates of University of Peradeniya(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Ratnayake, J.C.; Ekanayake, E.M.P.E.According to theorists like R. C. Gardner and Stephen Krashen, extra-linguistic factors with socio-psychological overtones play as much a critical role as linguistic factors in teaching/learning ESL/EFL. Anxiety has been identified as one of the aforementioned affective factors that can have a significantly negative impact on language acquisition/learning process of students. As such, the current study investigates the nature and scale of anxiety experienced by first year undergraduates of Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, belonging to groups of basic level competence in English. The study was exploratory in nature and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for the purpose of the research. Questionnaires were distributed using the purposive sampling method i.e. 25 questionnaires were distributed among undergraduates whose L1 was Sinhala while another 25 were distributed among undergraduates whose L1 was Tamil. Also, interviews were conducted with 10 instructors that teach undergraduates of basic level competence in English. The quantitative and qualitative data collected through questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis. The qualitative data gathered though interviews were analyzed using the discourse and thematic analysis methods and then the data triangulation method was deployed. The analysis of data from the questionnaires revealed that students whose L1 is Tamil face significantly higher levels of anxiety (88%) compared to students whose L1 is Sinhala (48%). The students faced anxiety in the form of communication apprehension/ anxiety, test anxiety, anxiety regarding negative evaluation and anxiety in the ESL classroom environment. These findings were corroborated through findings from the interviews with the instructors. While the study provides insight into the intensity and scale of anxiety experienced by adult ESL learners of tertiary level education, it also highlights on the role of the student L1 as a defining factor in ESL learner anxiety.