ICLSL 2017
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Item Code Switching and Code Mixing in an ESL Class: A Study of Undergraduates in a State University.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Samarakoon, S. M. S. S.Code switching and code mixing exist in bilingual societies where people use two or more languages to communicate. Being able to speak more than one language, bilinguals can code-switch and mix as means of effectively conveying meaning. Code switching and mixing frequently occur in English classrooms in faculties of Arts in Sri Lankan universities, where the teachers use Sinhala or L1 to teach English as a second language. The effectiveness of using and mixing L1 and L2 has been debated over the years. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate when and why teachers in this context use code mixing and code switching. Two classroom observations were carried out, two language instructors were interviewed and 30 ESL students in an intermediate level group were given a questionnaire to gather data for the study. The students' views on the use of L1 were assessed using a questionnaire that contained five-point Likert scale items. The results showed that the informant teachers generally tried to code-switch as little as possible but that they did code-switch in some of those situations where the students preferred either a combination of Sinhala and English or only Sinhala. During instances where the students cannot understand the lessons when instructions or explanations are given only in English, the informant teachers switch to L1, to create a less intimidating atmosphere which was one of the observations of the study. All 30 students strongly agreed with the fact that L1 should be used to understand grammar rules and lexical areas. The informant teachers agree to some extent with the idea that learners will understand more if they were to uses the L1 language of the learners to explain certain grammatical components. Both the informant teachers agree to some extent that learners will understand more, if she uses the L1 languages to explain the meanings of certain lexical item.Item Effectiveness of Using English Songs to Develop the Level of Vocabulary Competence of the Undergraduates.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Rupesinghe, T.U.The use of songs in the language development is a popular concept in the pedagogical studies. Through this research, it is aimed to find out how effective the songs could be in the enhancement of vocabulary knowledge of the learners. For a Second Language learner, having substantial vocabulary knowledge in the target language is very important to communicate well in that language. Therefore, through this research, effectiveness of using songs to introduce new words to enhance the level of vocabulary competence of the undergraduates was explored. This study was conducted using fifty undergraduates from University of Sri Jayawardhanapura. In addition, opinions were taken from fifteen teachers‟ in this regard. Several materials, namely two questionnaires, a pretest and a post-test were used to collect data and the study was carried out within three weeks. At the initial stage, a questionnaire for students and a questionnaire for teachers were given to get the opinions on using songs to develop vocabulary. The fifty undergraduates were divided into two groups as control group who were taught vocabulary by a teacher in a usual class setting and the experimental group to whom the vocabulary was introduced with the use of songs. The analysis of the Pretest, which was given at the beginning of the three weeks, showed that all the participants had an equal proficiency level related to vocabulary. However, after three weeks of vocabulary sessions, the post-test scores revealed that both groups have developed their vocabulary competence but the experimental group has outperformed the control group by retaining more number of words. It was also observed that the use of song in the classroom could create a motivating and relaxing learner environment. Therefore, in conclusion it was proved that English songs are an effective tool to be used in ESL classrooms to enhance the vocabulary competence of the undergraduates.Item Diagnosis of Prevalent Metacognitive Strategies among ESL Learners.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Rathnayake, W. M. P.Y. B.The way in which learners of English as a second language (ESL) acquire language has been one of the seminal areas of investigation in language pedagogy which can effectively make an impact in attempts to materialize optimum input for ESL classroom. Having hypothesized that a combination of linguistic content assisted with metacognitive strategy is effective in harvesting outcomes in ESL context, the study endeavors to identify areas of metacognitive skills to be espoused in input. In order to determine the extent of metacognitive strategy and skills required for the learners, a diagnosis of the prevailing metacognitive strategy in use of the learners is crucial. Being considerate of what metacognitive strategies are students aware of in learning ESL and which strategies do they perceive as relevant for their studies, as research problems the study proposes a questionnaire aligned with taxonomy of metacognition that can be of definite viability to deploy in the investigation of prevailing metacognitive skills among learners. The questionnaire survey executed among 110 engineering undergraduates provides the data for the study. The questionnaire identifies learner traits that reflect metacognitive behavior which eases investigating the existing strategy in possession of learners. Such traits possessed by learner are interpreted in terms of the taxonomy of metacognition thus forming the portfolio of metacognitive strategy in use among the ESL learners. In the attempt of cataloguing the metacognitive strategy portfolio of ESL learners, the classification of strategy is done on the basis of the taxonomy of metacognition by Tarricone (2011). Taxonomy aligned diagnosis proves the prevalence of strategies of highly metacognitive nature among leaners. The general findings of the context further prove the instances in which learners find themselves capable of metacognitive feelings and judgements with regard to the use of strategies of metacognitive nature. The correlation analysis establishes the integrated nature of the four skills of language in ESL learning context, while instituting that there exists a correlation among planning, monitoring and control behaviors towards enabling metacognitive feelings and judgments.Item Impact of Collaborative Writing on Learners of English as a Second Language.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Markandu, P.Teaching English for the learners of English as a second language has undergone many changes in the recent times and numerous novel methods are being introduced to make language learning and writing more effective. Collaborative writing is one among those methods used to enhance the writing proficiency of the learners of English as a second language. The major concern of this study is to identify the impact of collaborative writing on learners of English as a second language. The study has investigated how collaborative writing can improve the critical thinking skills of the learners. The study mainly focuses on the collaborative writing skill, with specific focus on the composition writing skill of the learners of English as a second Language in the University College of Jaffna. The sample of the study included thirty students from the Food Technology course of the University College of Jaffna. The data were collected through written tests where an individual test and a group test on the same topic was given and assessed. Further data were collected through questionnaires and Observer‟s notes. The analysis of the data showed that the group essays were more organized and meaningful with less errors rather than the individual test. Among the thirty samples for the study, the collaborative writing was effective for almost all of them and for nineteen of them it was more useful. The analysis also helped to identify the attitude of learners towards collaborative writing and it revealed a positive impact on their learning and writing proficiency. The writing ability and the writing skill of the students seem to be limited in many parts of Sri Lanka compared to the other three basic language skills. Therefore, there is a pressing need for research on the writing practices of Sri Lanka and to discover suitable remedies to improve the writing skill. Finally, through this research, it is identified that collaborative writing is an effective way to improve the writing skill of learners of English as a Second Language.Item Attitudes towards the Use of Web 2.0 Tools for Learning ESL: A Case Study Conducted at the Advanced Technological Institute, Gampaha.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Jayathilake, M. V. M.; Shantha, P. H. A. B.With the advancement of the web technologies, almost all the fields get more benefits than previously and education is one of most benefited sectors. There is a growing interest in online classroom settings in learning second languages. There are a number of research studies that have used empirical and exploratory methods to assess and evaluate the actual impact of using Web 2.0 tools in learning English as second language, because Web 2.0 tools have shifted language learners from passive recipients into active contributors. Based on this rationale, the present study aims at exploring attitudes toward the use of Web 2.0 tools for leaning English as a second language. However, the question arises as to whether alternative higher education sector students have similar Web 2.0 experiences in ESL as their higher education sector peers. In this study, the core objective is to evaluate attitudes towards using Web 2.0 tools in Leaning English as a Second Language in the higher Education sector of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, 260 students from Advanced Technological Institute (ATI), Gampaha were selected as the sample. Framework of this study is based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The study made use of a mixed method approach and the participants‟ attitudes were elicited through the use of a questionnaire which included open-ended questions to collect qualitative data and structured questions which ensured the collection of quantitative data. Responses given to open-ended questions were analyzed through coding the statements while the responses to structured questions were analyzed by calculating the frequencies. The results showed that all the respondents rated the items positively within all six dimensions of TAM. Web 2.0 tools had significant correlations to TAM dimensions and the majority of students have positive attitudes regarding the use of an interactive web environment and the learning benefits that ensued.Item The Accuracy on the Usage of Active Voice and Passive Voice by Learners of English as a Second Language: Tertiary Level.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Jayasinghe, R.R.In English grammar, voice refers to the form of verb in a sentence: Active voice or Passive voice. In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action where as in passive form, the subject receives the action. In English Language, there are 12 tenses to indicate active voice, but the possibility of transforming them to passive voice depends on the given verb and the context of the sentence. Though the active voice verbs are stronger and usually more empathetic than the passive voice verbs, the university undergraduates of the Faculty of Science have to master the passive voice accurately in order to report their experiments and research findings quite frequently. However, even having a good knowledge of the 12 tenses in active voice, many ESL (English as a Second Language) learners fail to transform some of them into passive voice successfully. The aim of this study is to examine the accuracy patterns of the ESL learners‟ usage of passive voice and thereby to find out the causes of these learners‟ difficulties in transforming active voice sentences into passive voice. The hypothesis of this study is, the intralingual difficulties in English language, create undergraduates‟ errors in passive voice construction. A pool of 150 Physical Science first year students of University of Kelaniya were examined in this study. These students were given a writing task to transform active voice sentences of all the 12 tenses in English language into passive voice. These students‟ accuracy was marked and analyzed by using an ANOVA test followed by an HD Tukey test in SPSS. The results showed a substantial number of significant variances between the accuracy of passive voice sentences in different tenses. This study concludes that the students make errors in transforming active voice to passive voice due to the interlingual difficulties caused by the negative influence of their first language, Sinhala, and also the intralingual difficulties in their target language, English. These findings can be used to facilitate teaching passive voice in ESL classrooms at the tertiary level.Item Use of Learner‟s First Language in ESL Classroom.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Disanayake, D.M.K.H.This paper attempts to appraise the success of allowing L1 to be used in ESL classroom to a limited extent in achieving the targets of ESL teaching, first teachers being aware of instances where and how they should use L1 effectively. Despite the fact that English, after much controversy, is recommended by many to be used as the sole medium of teaching in ESL classroom, after years of careful observation, it is firmly convinced that English only policy no more helps meeting the targets in ESL classroom. English only concept probably creates a rather threatening than facilitating environment for the learners. This study inquires why teachers should use L1 in ESL teaching and instances where it is much more effective than sticking to English. For the purpose, two ESL classes of a state university each of which consisted of around 20 undergraduate students of the first year were taken into consideration. Evaluation of the performance of the students by a test, questionnaires and interviews held with the teachers from the same university were used in reaching the findings. In this study, it was revealed through observation that 85% of the students do not actively participate in the classroom activities and that the performance of their productive skills, as was revealed at the pre and post assessment tests, is far behind than that of the receptive skills, when the things are taught only in English. Another fact mostly highlighted was that even if the teachers are always encouraged by the system to use only English in ESL classroom, still around 90% of the interviewed teachers use L1 to some extent based on their experience. Another important finding was that, as admitted by 80% of the interviewed teachers, there are instances where teachers do not find a better option than using L1 in order to teach the intended point effectively. In conclusion, it is suggested through the research that L1 should not be used only when all the other attempts fail to meet the targets, but it should be used to make teaching and learning process more efficient and effective.Item Impact of Corrective Feedback on Spoken Discourse.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Daladawaththa, B.L.It is often argued whether corrective feedback in spoken discourse leads to better performance of English as Second Language (ESL) learners. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of corrective feedback on spoken discourse and to explore how far ESL teachers use the method of corrective feedback. An experimental group and a control group, with twenty students each, from two English courses at the Technical College, Beliatta, were administered a questionnaire in acquiring primary data. Moreover, a questionnaire survey was administered to fifteen ESL teachers from the same college. Telephone conversations and social media opinion polls were other means of data collection along with other secondary data collection methods. It was observed that almost all the students in the control and experiment groups get feedback in their speaking skills lessons. In addition, the experimental group gets feedback based on content, progress/achievement, language and structure. But the control group gets feedback only on content and achievement. All the ESL professionals completely agreed with the impact of corrective feedback on spoken discourse and they too highlighted that they provide feedback in their speaking lessons, where 80% of the feedback focuses on the progress/achievement of the learners. Moreover, elicitation was used by almost every teacher involved in the questionnaire survey in giving corrective feedback. The average performance of the experimental group was satisfactory whereas 70% of students in the control group performed less satisfactorily, when all the participants were given the same speaking test at the end of three months of teaching and observation. Therefore, it was ascertained that corrective feedback given carefully in the ESL teaching/learning process can pave the way for better performance in the spoken discourse of learners.